Tears of Blood
by moonhaku
Summary: [KibaHina] First she almost dies, then the haunted memories of the past make a frightening return. Blood is shed and tears are spilled, will this be then end?
1. Keiko

YAY!! This is my first fanfic ever. I'm slowly coverting from a naruto freak to a semi-naruto freak to a naruto freak once more!!! There's really not that much plot, but there will be later on! Please read and review.

ENJOY! ….

Oh and do I even really need to do this?

**Disclaimer: I never owned Naruto, I wish I did, But I don't. DUH!!! **

------------------

Hinata looked at herself in front of the mirror just like she did every morning. She dressed quietly and stepped out the bathroom door. As she walked down the dimly lit hallway, a maid greeted her and gave her a note.

'hinata,

let's go on a date today, the cherry blossoms look great

kiba'

As she read the familiar, semi-legible scrawl, Hinata's heart started to beat quickly as she began to blush. She could feel the confused stare of the maid on her back as she hurriedly ran down the hallway. When she reached the main entrance, she paused for a moment to straighten her silken kimono. They had been dating for a year now, Kiba and Hinata….she shook her head, Kiba was waiting, she couldn't think idle thoughts _now._

As she walked toward Kiba, he approached her and enfolded her in a warm hug. She pulled away, and said

"A..are we g..going to th..the p..park, Kiba-kun?"

"Yeah, the blossoms look really pretty today, like you"

"gasp Kiba!"

Hinata blushed furiously at this statement.

Kiba chuckled and grasped her hand as they began to walk toward the park with Akamaru trailing not far behind.

Hinata looked at the man who stood next to her, no longer was he the same arrogant, annoying boy that she had grown up with, he still had the red-fang marks on his cheeks, and the black spiky hair, but his personality was somehow….different. They were both 19 now, but it couldn't have really been that long ago…right….

**flashback**

"_Bye Hinata!" A blond haired, blue eyed ninja called as he set off. Hinata sighed and sadly waved good bye to the boy, her crush or otherwise know as Uzimaki Naruto. She had known that he would be leaving, but she also knew that there was a good chance that she'd never see him ever again. He still thought of her as only a friend; she never had summed up the courage to tell him her true feelings. _

_It was a nice, warm spring day when he left, cherry blossoms were in full bloom and children from the Academy were playing "ninja" along the streets. Hinata, however walked to the old training place after Naruto left. This was the place where he had told her that he thought that she wasn't that strange anymore, that she could actually be a bit on the normal side. She slumped down next to one of the enormous logs and looked around her. Memories were dancing and twirling with the wind before her eyes. Naruto training, Naruto smiling that confident smile, Naruto hurt…..all her emotions bounced and swirled inside of her until she felt like she was about to burst. _

"_Hinata?"_

_She gasped and whirled around only to find herself face to face with one of her teammates, Inuzuka Kiba. _

"_Have you been…crying?"_

_Her hands flew up to touch her own cheeks, sure enough, they were streaked with wet tears. _

"_O..Oh he..hello Kiba-kun…w..why are y…you h..here?"_

_Her voice faded as she miserably stared at the ground in shame._

"_I was just visiting our old training ground, y'know. Anyways, you want to take a stroll in the park with me? The cherry blossoms are really great this year."_

_Hinata gaped at him in surprise before she could stop herself, it wasn't like him to appreciate the delicate beauty of the blossoms! _

"_I mean…Akamaru wanted to go, anyway…" Kiba blushed furiously as he turned away._

_So it started._

_From then on, Kiba had been her pillar of comfort, a shoulder that she could cry on, her number one confidante. The puppy was also a nice addition, although it wasn't really puppy, more like a small pony. At any point, she was so happy, so full of comfort; her romantic feelings for Naruto had completely disappeared, leaving only easy friendship in its place…_

**end flashback**

"Hinata?"

Hinata gasped as she realized that Kiba had been talking to her as she was daydreaming.

"Y..yes?

"Ohh..daydreaming again. Well, I guess that it's expected since you're crazy about me. Anyway, have you seen Naruto or Sasuke?"

Hinata bit her lip; Naruto had surprisingly come back a few months ago, bringing a horribly injured Sasuke with him.

"N…no, Kiba-kun, I haven't s..seen him f..for a few w..weeks."

"Oh. Well, you—"

"Oi! Kiba, Hinata!"

A familiar voice cut in the middle of their conversation, it was none other than Uzimaki Naruto, Hinata's old crush. Kiba wrinkled his nose in annoyance and Hinata blushed like she always did when she was nervous. Naruto was with his wife, whom he had found and married during his time being away. The pair ran up to meet with Kiba and Hinata.

"How's it going, Uzimaki?"

"A little strange, I've been away from Konoha for too long. Everything's changed, and everyone's changed too! For example, just look at you and Hinata!"

Hinata was surprised by this comment and started to go red in the face.

"Oh, hi Hinata! I haven't seen you for a while! How's it going?"

"F..fine N..naruto-kun"

It was at this moment that Naruto realized that he had yet to introduce his wife to them.

"Oi, I forgot! Kiba, Hinata, this is Jinmei Keiko! I found her along the road when I was headed back from the Land of the Rain."

"Pleased to meet you, and as my husband said, I was found, it's true. But I made up for it later since I saved his _butt_ from being kicked!"

This provoked a loud laugh from both of the men, and a gentle, quiet chuckle from Hinata.

Hinata, wide-eyed, observed Keiko as the men discussed other things. Keiko had enormous striking emerald eyes that reminded her of the tropical rainforests that she had read of in a few books. She had a slightly tanned complexion and a slim, elegant figure. A green silken kimono was gently wrapped around her body and her hair was tied back in a simple braid. They were about the same height, Hinata and Keiko, but she sensed that Keiko was much more experienced even though she was already a jounin. Her eyes betrayed her seemingly infinite knowledge. She was just the kind of wife Naruto needed, kind and gentle, but also humorous and fun at the same time. Keiko indeed looked like a blessing, as her name stated.

"—on the way to the park, want to join us?"

Hinata tuned into the conversation just as Kiba invited Naruto, or _Uzimaki_, as Kiba called him, to the park.

"Naw, we're on our way to visit Sasuke. I couldn't see him yesterday; the nurses wouldn't let me, so I'd thought that I would try my luck today."

"Then in that case, we'll go too. Is that alright Hinata?"

"O..ok"

Hinata had always wondered what had happened to Sasuke these past few years. She never dared to visit alone, but now that Kiba, Naruto, and this Keiko were also going, she felt a whole lot braver than before.

They chatted as they walked to the Leaf's hospital. Keiko was talkative and kept everyone amused with her subtle jokes. No wonder Naruto had taken a liking to her! As they reached the hospital, they found everything in frenzy. A worried Sakura ran up to them.

"Have you seen Sasuke-kun?!"

Her face was contorted with worry as she assaulted Kiba and Naruto with her demands to know where he was.

"No, why?"

"Because he's gone. Again, and he isn't supposed to be out, y'know."

An oddly familiar voice behind them had spoken.

"Hello Naruto. Long time no see, I suppose that the lovely young lady over there is your girlfriend?"

"KAKASHI-SENSEI!!!!"

Naruto was jubilant as he rushed up to embrace his old sensei.

"Actually, Keiko's my wife. When did you get here Kakashi-sensei?"

"Just yesterday. And speaking of wives, mine has worried herself carzy over this missing Sasuke"

Naruto looked all of them suspiciously, when did Kakashi-sensei get married? And to whom? Too many things have changed while he was gone!

"Oh, c'mon Kakashi, I'm not _that _worried"

Sakura bounced over to Kakashi and kissed him on the cheek. Kakashi hugged her tightly in return.

"I missed you so much Kakashi dear!!!"

"WAIT A MINUTE…. SAKURA-CHAN? YOU'RE MARRIED TO KAKASHI-SENSEI???"

Naruto heard, but didn't feel, himself hit the ground. Everything went black.

End of Chapter One

---------------------------

Like it? It's kind of weird, I never thought of kakasaku before, but I read another fanfic with those 2 together, so why not? Expect more shikatema, nejiten, chojiino (dunno where that came from), and sasuOC (no more characters XD). I've got to work on a main plot….


	2. Reappearance

Here's the second chapter. sigh still not much plot. Please give me some ideas aka R&R.

Oh and

**Disclaimer: do I rele need to do this? I _don't_ own naruto, I wish I did, but I don't. **

ENJOY!

--------------------------

Chapter two

"Hmm..?"

Uzimaki Naruto woke up to fuzzy faces anxiously staring at him.

"Hm..? Wait…where am I??"

Everyone started laughing with relief as he asked the question. Apparently, he was on the hospital floor. It was all coming back to him now.

He'd simply fainted.

Naruto got up and shook his head to clear the fog. When the fog completely lifted, he could see that everyone was laughing so hard, that they were practically rolling on the floor. The only ones, who weren't of course, were Hinata, Kakashi and Keiko. But other then those three, all of the other people were laughing their butts off. Even Akamaru managed a doggish guffaw.

"HEY! What's so funny?"

Naruto growled in frustration as he picked himself off the ground.

"Oh, Naruto. You should've seen the look on your face!"

Now Keiko was laughing like crazy, rolling on the floor, doubling over, the whole package. All the nurses and doctors were amazed to see the jounins all on the floor. One confused nurse offered to get a stretcher. Naruto politely declined this offer, since he wasn't sure whether the stretcher was for him or the others who were on the ground, _laughing. _

Suddenly, all the laughter was cut short as everyone stared at their new arrival.

"Stop staring, it's annoying."

The infamous Uchiha Sasuke.

---------------------

Hn. Look at all of them, laughing like hyenas. Naruto's knocked out cold, big loser. I'm gone for 10 minutes, and the world falls apart.

"Sasuke! Where were you? Why were you out?"

Sakura quickly picked herself off the ground as she started bombarding _me _with questions. I was tempted to punch her, but before I could do that, a gloved hand reached down and firmly pressed her lips closed. I looked up in surprise.

Kakashi-sensei was overhead.

"Now, now. We don't want to have a fight in the middle of the hospital lobby, do we? Besides, Sasuke, you're injured, you should be in bed. "

I was _not_ injured! Well, I was, maybe a teeny bit, but I was probably healed by now anyway. But from the way I remember, that stupid sensei is too stubborn to be persuaded. I "hn"ed and tramped down the hallway to my room.

-------------------------------

What? That's Sasuke-kun? He looks so old, well, young really. But he grew up so much! Except for his way of replying with "hn" all the time. That much was the same. His outfit changed too! Instead of the black pair of pants and a shirt, he wore a robe. Kind of like the one Neji wore nowadays. Except his was dark blue with an Uchiha fan on the back. His hairstyle was still the same, although his bangs were longer. But the eyes, they were always deep black, but how they were blood red with the Sharingan. I stumbled backwards a bit when I saw him, but Kiba caught me before I tripped on Akamaru, who was behind me.

"Are you alright, Hinata?"

I blushed again. Why was I always blushing! It wasn't like I didn't know Kiba, but even so…

"Y..yes. Y..you can let g..go of m..me now, K..kiba-kun."

Kiba was holding me a bit too tightly and I suddenly had a vision of a certain lavender-eyed woman (hint hint) being taken advantage of by a certain black hair man (hint hint). I felt my face turn pink again. Everyone stared at me as I struggled out of his grasp with all the grace I could muster. Great, now everybody thinks that I'm like a little elephant, big and clumsy.

--------------------------

As Kiba, Hinata and Akamaru left for the park, Naruto started to chat with Sakura and Kakashi.

"S..sakura-chan, when in the world did you and Kakashi-sensei get together?"

Sakura blushed and replied:

"Well, it was shortly after you left. I was so lonely, so I guess we just got attracted to each other."

Kakashi smiled and reached down to give his wife a kiss.

"Oh, stop it!"

Sakura giggled like a little girl.

"You can't exhaust yourself like this, dear. **(A/N OMG.OMG.OMG. Kakashi calling** **Sakura 'DEAR'? faints )**. It's too stressful."

Now Naruto was truly confused. What was this talk about Sakura-chan being tired and so _delicate_? From his point of view, Sakura-chan was still the headstrong, untiring girl that he grew up with. Well, there's no time like now to find out why she would be tired. He braced himself against Sakura-chan's possible outburst.

"Um Sakura-chan, why would you need to rest?"

At this new question, Sakura turned even redder and her turquoise **(A/N: Alright alright,** **her eyes aren't exactly _turquoise_, but…oh well! runs away from kunai-armed** **GinareZH)** She glanced Kakashi-sensei, no, her _husband_. Kakashi smiled knowingly and turned to answer Naruto's question.

"Well, since Sakura's 20 now, we both thought that it was time to have a child."

Sakura gasped and blushed even more, if that was possible. Naruto was still perplexed until Keiko rapped him on the head.

"You knucklehead, it means that she's pregnant! Do I have to spell everything out for you?"

We all wait for a few minutes for Naruto to react

"Oh! I get it now!"

They all fall over, anime style

Suddenly, a huge, taunting grin overcomes Naruto's foxy complexion.

"So, you're going to a _mother_ now, Sakura-chan. How's it going to be like now, huh? _Mrs. Hatake. _Does he call you _sweetie?_ Or maybe _hon-"_

WHAM

Sakura's infuriated fist connected squarely with Naruto's jaw. Naruto flew into the other end of the hallway, all 500 feet. Right into Sasuke Uchiha's open door.

------------------------------------

I intended that there'd be more. But so far, all this writing had been done at night. Oh, and I mentioned **GinareZH**, she's one of my friends. Her stories are really good, even though I don't know anything about Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy…. check them out even if you aren't, like me. And betta yet, if you DO like them, read'em.

moonlight haku


	3. Proposal

Wow, these chapters are coming fast. I don't even know what to write, but o well. YOU BETTER R&R AFTER THIS!!!! …o and b4 I forget…

DISCLAIMER: hopefully, if you're reading this, you already know I don't own naruto…right?

--------------------

Chapter 3

"WHAT THE F' H?!!!!!"

Sasuke's murderous voice rang throughout the hospital. For exactly 1 minute and 27 seconds, everyone in Konoha went pale and their heart stopped. Such was the power of an angry Uchiha.

"GET OUT OF MY THE F' DOOR YOU A!!!!!!!!"

Sounds of agony, punches being thrown, bones being broken, and screams were heard a few seconds later.

"STOP IT YOU! I KNOW HE'S A BASTARD, BUT HE'S STILL _MY _HUSBAND!!!"

Everyone gaped Keiko disappeared in a puff of smoke and reappeared at Naruto's side. She tried to defend Naruto, but Sasuke was way too strong for her. At this moment, Sakura finally realized that she had to help, it _was_ her who threw Naruto against the wall in the first place.

She tried to run down the hallway, but Kakashi held her back.

"It's ok, I'll go."

He disappeared and reappeared holding Sasuke and Naruto apart.

"Now, now, you're disturbing the peace in this hospital. And Sasuke, you already beat Naruto up pretty badly, so why bother with killing him? IF you don't kill him now, you'll have more chances to in the future."

Anyone who had good sense could tell that Sasuke's eyes brightened up for a mere second at this thought. He turned around and tramped into his hospital room. Everyone let out a sigh of relief.

--------------------------------

Oblivious to what was currently going on in Leaf Hospital, Hinata and Kiba were enjoying a nice, _peaceful_ walk in Konoha Park. Hinata was quietly gazing at the pink cherry blossoms all around her as Kiba held her with one arm.

Suddenly, Kiba turned around and kissed Hinata. She gasped, but she felt herself melting into his kiss a few moments later. She felt him pick her small body up and over to a bench surrounded by thick cherry blossom trees. Hinata leaned onto him and kissing fervently again. His hand slipped into her lightly wrapped lavender kimono as the other pulled her against him. She stroked his soft, raven hair and brought his head closer to hers. It was a long time before either of them stopped for a breath.

"Hinata?"

Kiba gazed lovingly into her soft, lavender-white eyes. He was still breathing heavily from their kiss and looked like he wanted more of her.

"Y..yes Kiba-kun?"

Hinata wrapped her slim, delicate arms around his neck as she sat on his lap.

"W..will you marry me?"

Hinata gasped and blushed. When she regained her composure, she managed to choke out a reply.

"O..of course, K..kiba-kun. I..i love y..you…"

"I love you too, Hinata…"

Then Kiba pulled her closer to him for another kiss. This one more intense then any other they had shared before. Hinata felt Kiba's warm, sweaty body pressing on her chest as she somehow had ended up beneath him. It was Hinata who pulled away for a breath of fresh air, but then Kiba's hand guided her to him again and Hinata felt herself losing more and more of her to Kiba…

------------------------------------

It was later that night when they all met again. Naruto was bruised and had a cast around his arm, leg and neck. Keiko looked flustered, but was unhurt except for a little scrape on her left cheek. Kakashi and Sakura were _mysteriously_ missing **(A/N: has something to do with a be--starts to grin evilly, but then sees her friends all armed with shurikens, kunai and senbon… frantically runs away) **As Hinata and Kiba walked up to talk with them, Hinata quickly noticed Naruto's condition.

"O..oh dear! W..what happened t..to you N..naruto-kun? And K..keiko-chan, are y…you alright? D..do y..you need s..some h..help?"

Keiko lifted her weary eyes to greet her new friends.

"Oh, it's you, Hinata-chan. Naruto got into a fight with the Uchiha after Sakura smashed him into Uchiha's door. Then he beat the c**(A/N: I consider it a bad word, so bear with me. I never curse, so naturally all my friends are _appalled_ at the sight of me writing curses…shrieks and runs away from mob of armed friends)** out of my husband.

"No wonder, tsk tsk tsk, Naruto, always getting into trouble."

Naruto wearily raised his head as he heard Kiba talk to him. For the first time, he noticed that Hinata was a little flushed, a pleasant rosy color was tinting her pale, white skin. Kiba was a bit sweaty and also pink.

"So…huff…what's happening…huff huff..between you…huff huff..guys..huff?"

Hinata, startled, stumbled backward into Kiba and Kiba, who was smiling gently at Hinata gave Naruto his reply.**(A/N: Why are the women always so shy? Argh, you are betraying me brain! attempts to fight own brain but ends up beating self unconscious, thus stopping the lethal army of killer friends)**

"Well, we're hoping to get married, I mean, if her father per--"

"Oh really? What a _wonderful _surprise! Gosh, I never thought that you were the romantic type, Kiba. But it really is high time that you got yourself a wife and settled down!"

All of them turned to face the old (familiar), bratty voice that was coming from above.

-----------------------------

That annoying bratty voice!!! She is ruining my story! Well, at least there a HINT of the plot, (look at the lines above). Hope that ya liked it, look forward to the next chapter!

moonlight haku


	4. Blood

Chapter 4!! WHOO HOO!!!!! I'm rele sorry if the other chapters were a bit boring, but I promise that this one _won't _be. PLEASE R&R!!! (Or I will send my attack kunoichis on you)

…

Disclaimer: I was hoping I didn't have to do this…sighs…. I don't own naruto…. T-T 

------------------------

"Hi you guys! Long time no see!"

Everyone's head turned up to see the most annoying blond in Konoha wave.

Yamanaka Ino.

She jumped from the tree and started to chat nonstop with Keiko, poor Keiko, she had no idea what to do!

"Are you new here? Yeah you must be new. Hello my name's Yamanaka Ino, what's yours? Oh yeah, I forgot, Keiko right? How did you meet Naruto? I know I certainly don't want him for a husband. Do you like Konoha so far? I've grown up here all my life. Anyways…"

While Keiko was being kidnapped by Ino, Kiba and Hinata started to talk.

-----------------------

_That's Ino-chan, there isn't a single other girl in Konoha who can talk like her. Or curse like her for a fact, except for Sakura or Temari. But ever since they all got married, the shouting and arguing have gone down…a lot. _I thought as I stared blankly at the sight of the chatterbox, otherwise know as Ino.

"Um, Hinata?"

I snapped out of my revere and turned to Kiba, blushing because I had ignored him.

"Y..yes, Kiba-k..kun?"

Kiba sighed, he didn't look too happy.

"Is…your father alright with us..?"

"Um..um…."

I put my hands up to my face in my old usual way, I couldn't help it. As far as I knew, father was _not _alright with Kiba. In fact, he _hated_ him…

**flashback**

_It was the day after Naruto left, I had gone for a walk with Kiba & Akamaru the day before. Tonight, I'll be going to a famous diner at the centre of Konoha with him! For some reason, I found myself dressing up. I was wearing a silken, light blue kimono, a sky blue fan and blue tinted silk slippers. I had also used an expensive perfume, Oceanic View, it had an intoxicating smell, like the sea, water, and fresh earth. My father had looked at me strangely; I usually wore drab and baggy clothing._

_When my father saw Kiba at the door, he seemed to have understood everything. I could hear him running down the stairs to stop me from going out. I only heard that Neji restrained him and led him away from me. It was said that my father will never approve, it was my duty to marry within the family to preserve our name and our kekkei genkai. I felt that this rule was a bit silly, but my father is an intimidating man. _

_Neverless, it was wonderful. That was the first night that I realized that I might have something special for Kiba. After a full year of coming back and forth, I finally confessed my feelings for him. To my surprise, he felt the same way. Officially speaking, we've been dating for over a year, but anyone who had watched us would figure out that it had been much longer. Whenever father lost his temper, it was always Neji who held him away from me. Neji had gotten married though, he had TenTen to take care of. I couldn't keep him away from his wife and children, so I told him to only come when I was in real need. Little did I know how soon that would be…_

**end flashback**

--------------------------------

"—anyways, so Chouji and I have 2 kids. Isn't that wonderful? I bet you will have kids real soon. Oh, it's time for dinner. Chouji always like to eat a lot, so it takes me upwards of 3 hours to make his food. See you tomorrow!"

Hinata tuned in just is time to hear the end of the conversation, Ino disappeared in a puff of rose petals and it was finally _peaceful _again. Hinata suddenly felt the weight of the world on her shoulders, she pulled weakly on Kiba's sleeves.

"K..kiba-k..kun, c..can w..we g..go n..now..?

"Ok, you look a bit tired, Hinata. Are you o-"

Hinata couldn't stand anymore, she was surprisingly exhausted, and so depleted of energy, that she could barely keep conscious.

"H..hinata! Are you okay! Answer me! Hinata?!"

She had suddenly slumped into Kiba's arms, unconscious. She started coughing, blood spilling painfully out of her mouth.

"Oh. My. God. Hinata, you're coughing up blood! Hinata!!!"

Kiba was almost hysterical now, there wasn't a medic ninja or doctor to be seen anywhere, the hospital too far off and although Hinata had some medical training, she was unconscious. There seemed to be no hope.

---------------------------------

She had started coughing, that Hyuuga girl. Blood was ripping out of her mouth with each raspy cough. I hadn't known her for long, only a half day, really, but she seemed like a gentle, delicate soul. She had the spirit and patience of an angel, it seemed. I was frightening to see the red liquid spilling out of her pale, limp body. After a moment of hesitation, I hurried to her side. She seemed out of it, although red liquid was still streaming from her slightly open mouth.

"Come to my house, I'll see what I can do for her."

The man with the fang-marks, Kiba, I think, nodded dumbly. I guess that he was still scared silly by his girlfriend's sudden illness.

"Ok, you have to follow me quickly. My place is only a few minutes away from here, put your girlfriend—"

"Her _name_ is Hinata."

He growled slightly.

"Ok, fine, _Hinata_. But that's beside the point, put your girl—I mean _Hinata_ on your back and follow me. You too Naruto, don't just stand there like a broken doll."

They nodded again and I quickly walked down the brightly-lit street. I turned on a smaller street to a house. I unlocked the door and showed Kiba to the couch. Naruto was directed to the bedroom, he needed to get some sleep. I rushed into the bathroom to get my emergency first-aid kit. _No… _I thought, _that won't help. Maybe the thermometer and the heat compress would be better. _I ran back to the living room, put the heat compress on her forehead and stuck the thermometer in her mouth. Then I straightened up and left for the kitchen to make some herbal tea.

--------------------------------

Blood, she was coughing up blood! What was wrong wit her? I know that there was a lot of excitement today, but usually people don't respond by spilling blood!

"Are you alright? What happened to you..?"

I gently laid her down onto the couch and put her head on my lap. She was even paler than usual and didn't show any signs of waking up.

"I'm so sorry Hinata, was it something I did? Why didn't you tell me?…"

I was worried that she was dying, even Akamaru sensed that something was wrong. Very wrong. I felt responsible, guilty even. Maybe it was because she was out for too long, maybe something happened when I was away on a mission.

Naruto's wife, Keiko was her name I think, brought a heat compress and laid it on her forehead. The thermometer went into Hinata's slightly open mouth. Then she left for the kitchen. I glanced at the clock, it was 9 pm already! Her father and Neji would beat me to a pulp if they found out she still wasn't home yet.

"Father……ah…Neji…..blood…stop! AHHHHHH!"

Suddenly, Hinata's eyes snapped open as she screamed.

"HINATA!!"

By the time I reacted, her eyes had clouded over again and her eyes shut, unconscious. I took the thermometer out from her mouth, it was 101°F!

"Keiko! Get a doctor! Hinata's burning up, HURRY!!!"

-------------------------------------

I was in a dark hallway, endless darkness stretching out on both sides. Sounds of laughter and joy came from the right, and sounds of agony and war came from my left. I suddenly realized, that the sounds were hollow, unreal. As if on a cue, the sounds stopped, silence weighed down on me like a heavy, wet blanket.

A deep, deafening voice filled my mind, and an invisible hand started whacking my head, my face, my body.

"You are a failure, Hinata. You'll never change."

"It's your duty to marry with the clan!"

Voices, all different, squabbling around me.

"Hmph, the weakest kunoichi in Konoha, and heir to the Hyuuga clan, how ironic."

"You are the weakest, and you'll always be.."

"You cannot change you destiny…."

"FEAR, YOU ARE AFRAID HINATA, OF WHAT? THAT YOU ARE WEAK."

An entirely new voice drowned out all the others, the same one from before.

"YOU **ARE** WEAK, HINATA. WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT YOU'LL BE HEIR?"

I hid my head in my arms and wailed, but no sound would come out. Spirits, apparitions of my "friends" floated around me, taunting me.

"No! It's not true!!!"

I thought.

"FACE REALITY HINATA….YOU WILL NEVER CHANGE…"

"No! you're wrong, I can change…stop it!"

"YOU ARE THE WEAKEST OF US ALL. WAKE UP, TO REALITY!"

I collapsed, I had not more will to fight, no more strength or determination. It was a never-ending battle. They had won, I, had lost.

------------------------------------------------

Is it just me, or are the chapters getting shorter? Or are there just more cliffhangers….kind of. Anyway, I'm already halfway done with Chap 5, I just have to type it, it'll probably be up on Saturday. Hope that you enjoyed this! NOW PRESS THE REVIEW BUTTON!!!

moonlight haku


	5. Past

I was always wondering, should this be under horror? It has blood, my friend told me it should be under horror, I disagree. It's not that horrorific (is that a word..? oO)

I haven't been getting any real support and if this goes on, I might stop writing. So with that said…

PLZ R&R!!!!!!!!!!!

Disclaimer: reads off a script in boring monotone voice I do not own naruto and I probably never will

**------------------------------**

Oblivious to her inner turmoil, Kiba was frantically calling for help and searching for a way to lower Hinata's temperature. In ten minutes, it would rise to 102°F, and in half an hour, she could be dead.

"Let go of my cousin Kiba, I'm warning you…"

A low, menacing voice spoke to Kiba as Neji appeared in the middle of the Uzimaki living room.

"Get away, Kiba, this is your last warning…"

"Neji-sama?! Why are **you** here? How did you know?"

Neji looked at him like he was a complete idiot.

"I sensed her chakra, baka! Have you learned nothing?"

Kiba bowed his head in shame, of course! Neji was leader of the ANBU and Hinata, heir of the Hyuuga clan, was his cousin. He'll never hesitate to kill anyone who threatened his cousin in a physical or emotional way. And in this case, it seemedas if it was Kiba's fault.

"I..i'm sorry, Neji-sama. I will never speak out of my station again."

"Very good. Now step aside."

Kiba, trusting Neji to take good care of Hinata, stepped off to the right of Neji. He gently picked up Hinata and held her bridal style.

"I will leave now. Report to the hospital later for information."

"Yes, Neji-sama."

With that, Neji disappeared, leaving green elodea leaves in his wake. Keiko turned to Kiba with a questioning look on her face.

"Is it just him, or are all Leaf ninja either a chatterbox, an idiot or a blue-blooded freak?"

_I heard that._

Neji's cold voice rang out in the eerie silence. Keiko blanched and ran into the kitchen. She came out holding a small package.

"Give this to Hinata-san when she wakes up. I will stay here and take care of Naruto. Good luck!"

Kiba nodded and ran through the door.

--------------------------------

I was levitating. An invisible being picked me up and I was flying through the infinite darkness. I couldn't see or touch whatever was holding me. It felt like a force, just a thing that was there, but not really _there_. Abruptly, the "thing" stopped. Then I was falling into a bottomless pit with the same voices surrounding me again, falling, and alone.

--------------------------------

"We need to surround her with ice packs first, it'll bring her temperature down. The doctors and Tsunade-sama will be here shortly."

A nurse explained that since it's been really peaceful around Konoha lately, they had been allowed to go early. The nurses could usually take care of a scratch or a bad sprain. Now the doctors would have to be called back for the Hyuuga heiress. The nurse scurried out of view ad into the hospital room.

----------------------------

It's finally happened. She's finally been broken down. This was coming for years, but she couldn't hold up anymore today. It hasn't been so long since _that_ day. She has to live, or I will kill the _responsible_ _person_ myself.

"Hyuuga Neji, am I right?"

I shifted uncomfortably, how does Sakura stay in a place like this all day? So full of death and sickness.

"Yes, doctor."

"Your cousin, whom we are attending to, is Hyuuga Hinata, yes? Her condition is being stabilized. Tsunade-sama has sent her apprentice and Shizune-san here. As for her medical history, she has been here before for almost the same reasons. Do you have any idea why?"

I struggled to contain his feelings, it wouldn't do any good to let the doctor know what really happened. I pulled a grim smile on my face.

"No, I was not there."

"Ah, then I will be leaving now. Good-night."

"Doctor?"

"Yes?"

"When will I be able to see her?"

"Shizune-san will inform you, as for me, I do not know. Good night now, Neji-san."

With that, the doctor left. I sighed and returned to my seat in the main lobby. I had just sat down when Kiba rushed in.

"Is she alright? Where is she? What happened?!!!"

I gave him his best glare as I observed the hysterical man. Kiba, suddenly self-conscious, coughed and wiped that sweat from his brow.

"Er…um..I am sorry for my behavior, Neji-sama. It will not happen again…"

Iwas just about to rebuke him when a single tear found it's way down Kiba's cheek. Kiba, noticing the wetness, paled and hurriedly wiped it out of sight.

"It's ok, Kiba. There is no need to always act so formal, I was just worried about my cousin."

"Er..um…**(A/N: WAUGH….what's w/ the er and the um??)** if you say so, Neji-sama. May I ask a question…..sir?"

Apparently, I had been too harsh on him. He never calls anyone "sir" except when they really scare him.

"It's about Hinata, right? It's a long story, and it won't be pretty. Are you sure you're ready for it, Kiba?"

Kiba looked confused, what could be so dangerous about a story?

"Yes! I mean, of course, sir."

"It was against her wishes for you to be told, but this cannot be withheld from you anymore."

(A/N: If you don't like cruelty, blood or violence, DO NOT READ. You have been warned.)

**flashback**

_It was two months ago. A freezing, winter day. Everyone was happy since spring was near, but inside the Hyuuga mansion, the atmosphere was as cold as ice. Hinata had finally told her dad about her and Kiba. Lord Hiashi had bursted, and started to yell. _

"_Why do you go out with that Inuzuka scum?! Hinata! It is YOUR responsibility to do what is best for the clan!"_

"_B..but f..father,…I..i l..lov-"_

"**_DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT HINATA! IF YOU MARRY THAT IMBECILE, THEN I WILL DISOWN YOU!"_**

_At this, Hinata had begun to cry, tears were streaming down her face. She had know that her father was disappointed, but she couldn't help it. Kiba was her one and only, there was no one other than him._

"_**HINATA! YOU ARE THE HEIR TO THE HYUUGA CLAN! YOU'RE WEAK, LOOK AT THOSE TEARS! **_**HYUUGAS. DON'T. CRY."**

_**WHACK**_

_Hiashi had slapped Hinata across the face. As she cried and tried to keep from screaming, Hiashi became more and more enraged. The slaps never stopped and Hinata let out a desperate wail, and after what seemed like an eternity, Neji had burst into the room. He had been talking to TenTen, but after hearing Hinata scream, Hiashi shout and finally the slaps **(A/N: Ouch. If her could hear them….then….no thinking about those things, too awful), **he just couldn't ignore it anymore. TenTen followed not far behind. _

"_Oh. My. God. Hinata. What did he **do** to you?!"_

_As Neji and some guards worked on restraining Lord Hiashi, TenTen was trying to revive Hinata. Blood dribbled out of her mouth and her white kimono was splattered ith a mixture of tears and blood. By the time Neji and TenTen had gotten there, Hinata was already beaten unconscious. TenTen carried Hinata's small body to her room, wiped off the blood and called for a doctor. _

"_Hinata? Are you alright? What did that **BASTARD** do to you?!"_

_TenTen and a doctor where frantically trying to revive her. _

_Hinata survived, but she was still very delicate. She often had dizzy spells and she couldn't stand for long and it was very easy for her to get exhausted. After this incidence, Neji was even more protective of his weak cousin and he would beat up—or kill—anybody who endangered her in any way…. _

**end flashback**


	6. Itachi

YAY!!! Chappie 6! Thank you, **Neji's fangirl** and **Gwenivear Greenleaf **for your reviews. I will try not to end so suddenly anymore. This chapter pretty hard to finish (notice it has been a full week! . ) I got a serious writers block and tons of hw. Anyway, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own naruto, it's #1 in my list of world domination, but that's for 10 years later when I graduate John Hopkins and get an MD.

And I didn't intentionally make Neji snobby and mean, my hand has a life of its own!

Format:

_Flashbacks_

POVS 

-----------------------------

"W..what?!"

I was dumbstruck, all that had happened. And I didn't know?! I recalled how Hinata was this morning. In fact, she seemed just fine. Well, maybe a bit tired and skinnier than usual, but I usually overlook those kinds of things.

"W..when d..did that h..happen?"

D----! Now I sounded like Hinata! Not that it was a bad thing, but Neji didn't look too happy.

"The question is, Kiba, where were _you_?"

"I was on a mission, Neji-sama. You should know these things, after all, you _are_ the leader of the ANBU."

Neji just stared at me with those cold, emotionless eyes. Although he and Hinata were cousins, it was hard to believe that they were. Her eyes seemed so warm and joyful, while his eyes were unforgiving and cold.

"Er..um **(A/N: Once again, I ask, WHAT'S W/ THE ER..UM..?). **I'm sorry sir, I will not speak out of my station again."

There I go again, Kiba the living broken recorder. Sir this, sir that. It couldn't be helped, he _was_ my superior and he was pretty scary.

"NEJI-KUN!!!"

TenTen charged into the lobby, and almost ran me over to get to Neji.

"I came over as soon as I found out, what happened? Did Hinata relapse? And yes, Ren is over at Ino's."

Neji looked at his defiant wife and sighed again.

"Yes, she has overdone herself. It's not Kiba's fault, he didn't know (so don't beat him up . )."

TenTen turned around. She looked at me like it was a complete surprise to see me here.

"Kiba? Since when where you here?"

everyone falls over anime style

"I was _here_ in the _first _place!"

D! It was so hard to control my temper! That woman didn't even notice me! ARGH…well, if I even look like I'll hurt his wife, Neji will have it in for me for sure. Best get my temper under control. FUME FUME FUME

---------------------------

Meanwhile, as Kiba was trying to keep his temper under mild control, TenTen turned and looked at her husband.

"Is…Kiba…alright? He looks red in the face…"

"I..i'm alright..just trying to control MY TEMPER!!!" RAWR

"Kiba, I'm warning you, one move towards _my_ TenTen and you will regret it."

"Oh, Neji! I don't need anyone to protect me! I may be already 8 months, but I can still beat people up!"

"TenTen, it's not safe—"

"You worry-wart! I'll be fine, don't treat me like a little child!"

Neji seemed taken aback at this comment. I was amused, it seemed like Konoha's women were getting tougher. If they could scare Neji, then they could scare anyone. He noticed my amusement and immediately pulled himself back together.

"Ah…er..she's still very moody, it's a boy, because when she had Ren, she was still her old self. N..not to say tha—"

"CHA!!!"

It seemed like TenTen had totally gone berserk. As I watched her chase Neji all over the lobby, I sat down and started to think back to my first date with Hinata…

**flashback**

_It was a warm, spring day filled with cherry blossoms. The day was also filled with sadness because Naruto was leaving. We all thought that he would never come back, Hinata especially. Although it was painfully obvious, that knucklehead never noticed Hinata's crush on him She looked like she was about to faint, the poor thing. She stumbled into the woods to our training area. I was worried that she would get lost, so I grabbed Akamaru and followed her in the trees above. She must've been really upset since she didn't notice that I was above her all the way. When she slumped down next to a log, I dropped down next to her. The leaves rustled beneath my feet and I was worried that she could here me! I was so loud, but she seemed to be trapped in her own world. I sighed quietly this time and crouched down next to her. After an hour, my legs were getting stiff fell asleep. I tried to stand up, but my feet slipped out from under me and I put my hand down to stop my fall. Oops, bad move. I made a large sound and my hand was sticking out from behind the log. I stuck my head out quickly to make it look like I had meant to do that._

"_Er…Hinata..?" _

"…_.."_

_She wasn't answering, I decided that I couldn't get in any more trouble than I already was in, so I shook her shoulder. _

"_Hinata?"_

_Her eyes snapped open and she quickly activated the byakougan _**(A/N: Sorry if it's spelled wrong..XD) **_as she surveyed the area around her._ _My heart rate quickened, it was terrifying, those suddenly emotionless eyes with bulging veins on both sides. I tried to maintain a calm voice as I said:_

"_Hinata?"  
_

_She turned around—_

**end flashback**

"AAAHHHH!!!!!"

A sharp voice that sounded distinctly like Hinata's pierced the hospital air.

-----------------------------------

**_Augh. That idiot. He hasn't changed one bit over these few years. _**Uchiha Sasuke looked out the window in his hospital room. Blackbirds flew over to his window while making a distinctly chidori-like sound. A fist shot through the window and black feathers rained down. As Sasuke grasped the black feathers in his hand, he glared at the fleeing blackbirds.

The sky was blue and sunshine poured out over the cerulean sky. **_Hmph. I hate days like this, it reminds me too much of that day… _**He stared out the window at a group of academy students playing along the rooftops. They looked in his direction and ran away, suddenly feeling an unfriendly presence, staring, watching…

_**It's always been like that…ever since I came back…there's nothing left for me in Konoha…I don't belong anymore…**_

His expression changed to that of immense sadness. It was true, there was nothing left. No one in Konoha cared about him, loved him and he, in turn didn't either. His family was gone, murdered by his bastard brother…**_I know the real reason Naruto brought me back…to make fun of me…to make me suffer…all he ever cares about is that Keiko person…_**He had gotten his revenger, Itachi was dead and gone, but now….what else was there to do? Why should he go on living? Itachi had been his reason, his excuse for existing on the earth…but now the excuse had gotten old…

**flashback**

_It was a nice, sunny day in the rugged, blood-stained canyon where 4 ninja were battling. Sasuke had finally found Itachi, or rather…Itachi had found him. Orochimaru was no match for the Uchiha prodigy or the shark-man, Kisame. But he had managed to kill him with a suicide justu.. Kabuto, who had died early on, was lying in a pool of red blood, pinned to the rock wall with a dozen kunai and shuriken. _

"_Sasuke….my my…you have improved….I see…."_

_Itachi grunted as he caught 3 kunai on his leg. Sasuke smirked with confidence and settled into position to launch another Chidori. _

"_Yes…I have…now….YOU WILL DIE!!!" _

_Itachi grinned evilly and pulled the kunai out of his flesh and licked them clean. He activated his Mangekyo and beckoned for Sasuke to look into his eye. _

"_Sasuke….I'm afraid you might be..mistaken there..dear brother…"_

_Sasuke ignored his glare and winced inwardly at the sight of his brother licking his own blood. He concentrate he chakra on his hand and blue electricity started to surround his fingers. _

"_Get ready….Itachi….for you won't live…to see the next day.."_

"_Oh..? Really…then try me, dear brother…"_

_Sasuke growled, "dear brother"? There was nothing "dear" about this….without warning, he flung himself at Itachi at a speed unimaginable, and pressed his crackling hand into Itachi's blood-splattered chest. Itachi smirked and disappeared, leaving a log behind. Sasuke found a kunai pressing itself against his neck and slicing inwardly….slowly…._

"_I've got you now…..you won't live after this…dear brother…"_

"_Well, I've got news for you, cause I'm not quite finished yet!"_

_The Sasuke clone disappeared and Sasuke reappeared, plunging his blood-stained sword into Itachi's vital organs. Blood spurted out from Itachi's stomach, and Sasuke pushed the sword all the way through…and grabbed the hilt out from the other end. _

"_So…this is the end..huh? Well well, dear brother….it seems….that you….not I…have won…"_

_Itachi stood, doubled over a gaping hole in his stomach, surrounded by his own blood. Sasuke stood up, out of breath. His chakra was almost depleted and he couldn't afford to waste anymore. _

"_Now do you see…Itachi..? I….. have.finally avenged…my.family…." _

"_That is true, dear brother….but what will you do now that I…am dead..?"_

_Sasuke's eyes widened, he had never thought about that. All his life, he had been training, just so he could get revenge, but now….Itachi would be dead…NO! He wouldn't allow himself to think that. All could be solved, as soon as he was gone. That was his sole purpose. KILL. ITACHI. _

"_That may be true Itachi, but you'll never get to see! NOW. DIE!!!!!"_

_Sasuke conjured up the chidori once more and plunged it into Itachi's chest. Itachi's body exploded and blood rained down over the whole canyon. Sasuke stood admist the blood, tears welling up and mingling with the bloody rain…his revenge…complete…_

**end flashback**

---------------------------------------

Whew! Now that just took a long time. I'm no good at action scenes, so bear with me XD. I know this one was really slow in coming, but I had MAJOR writer's block(as stated above) I thin ktaht he rest should come pretty quickly. I write with inspiration, so sorry if it isn't fast enough. .;;

moonlight haku


	7. Kohana

WHOO HOO!! It's a snow day!! Well, actually, it's a hail day, it hailing hail. I tried to go down the stairs outside, but I slipped on the ice and fell down the stairs while bumping my hip REALLY hard along the way…I think I bruised it really badly….

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for my own characters (the Jinmeis) and my imaginary village -

**_pov_**

_flashback_

-----------------------------

Sasuke shook his head and blinked a few times. How long had he been lost in his memories? He looked up at the sky, no longer was it bright and warm, but now it was a bland, frigid white. Clouds dominated the sky above and the North wind (A/N that's the cold wind in my part of the equator XD) started to pick up its pace. While stretching his stiff limbs, Sasuke glanced at the clock with his red eyes. It had been only an hour! **_This is exactly what it was like….that day…_** Sasuke leaned out his windows to feel the crisp, cold air cut into his skin. The streets below were barren of any people, it seemed as if all the inhabitants had disappeared as he was daydreaming. **_Yes….exactly like that day…so long ago…_**

flashback

_The rain was a light drizzle, drifting on the crisp, cold air as it floated downwards. A dark-haired boy stood amidst the rain, looking up at the sky. A closer look reveals deadly, Sharingan eyes that were hidden by the dark-blue bangs on his face. He glares openly at the sky and lets out a wail of pain, suffering and anguish. It was a cry of utter hopelessness, of tremendous agony and sadness. The young man hangs his head as if defeated and crumples to his knees. He looks sadly at the corpses around him, his gaze stops at a relatively large puddle with bits of black cloth floating on it. He mutters to himself, or rather to the puddle._

"_I've avenged my family….what will I do now? You were right, Itachi, what will I do now? My comrades are dead, my revenge was taken, I'm free to do what I wish. But what will it be? I no longer belong to a village, I have betrayed them for revenges' sake, my former friends are determined to kill me….what will happen to me..?"_

_He takes a look around the blood-splattered canyon, the drops of blood dotted the whole canyon and even the rain could not even wash them away. He smiles bitterly and gets up to his feet slowly. The rain stops as suddenly as it had started as the sun hid behind the numerous clouds. Even during the rain, the sun had shined, but now…it had suddenly disappeared. The man, Sasuke, deactivated his Sharingan and walked away from the rotting corpses. A lush forest soon came into view. As he approached the trees, Sasuke thought that he heard a movement behind, a faint rustle of leaves. Then the world went black. _

"_Hn…? Where am…I..?"_

_He tried to sit up but intense pain shot up his whole body at the motion. Painfully, he lowered himself down again and tried to take a look around. Green sheets and a sterile air told him that he was in a hospital of some kind. _

"_Oh, you're awake?"_

_He turned at the voice, intense pain shooting through his neck as he turned. A strange, green haired woman stared back at him. She was wearing a light green hospital outfit, complete with a dark green robe and yellow-green slippers. _

"_Hello, I'm Jinmei Kohana. Nice to meet you!"_

"_Urgh…..whatever…."_

_Sasuke growled and looked away. However, he didn't turn his head, he had already learned a painful lesson from that. _

"_Does it hurt a lot? My father found you passed out near the forest, so he took you here."_

**_Well, that explains why I'm in this freakin' hospital or whatever, Sasuke ignored her and kept silent. She'll go away soon enough, just like everyone else…_**

_But he was wrong, she didn't leave. In fact, it seemed like his ignorance fueled her enthusiasm even more. She came back day after day, month after month. After 6 months of bedrest, Sasuke finally walked out of the hospital. He had come in which broken ribs, punctured internal organs, almost no chakra, loss of ½ of his blood … etc. Now he was leaving, healed, but with no will to live. During his stay, he had found out about this village. It had no ninja. That by itself was unbelievable. Every village needed ninja, if it didn't then who would protect the village? Also, the village was virtually unknown by any of the 6 villages, mainly because the village consisted of farmers, healers (doctors?) and craftsmen. There wasn't really a leader, only a town council of 3 individuals. Everyone followed the regular morals and the town was a very peaceful one. In fact, the town was called Seikan _(A/N: I think that means peaceful) _It was at the heart of a huge forest, so no one attacked or invaded, because one could get lost in the forest. This however, didn't matter to Sasuke. He still didn't have a reason to live…he might as well kill himself…_

_Keiko pulled him aside as soon as he stepped out the hospital. _

"_Well, since you have no place to stay…how about coming over to live at my place? My father would be more than happy to have a guest over."_

_Now he was staying over at the Jinmei's. They were a fairly influential family; the mother was one of The Council. The family consisted of Jinmei Mamoru (father), Jinmei Midori(mother), Jinmei Keiko (elder sister), Jinmei Fujita (brother) and of course, Jinmei Kohana (younger sister)._(A/N: Midori means "green", Mamoru means "earth", Keiko means "blessing", Fujita means "field" and Kohana means "a little flower" - They are in order of age. So that makes Mamoru 42, Midori 40, Keiko 20, Fujita and Kohana 18. They're twins -) _Their house was very comfortable; 15 servants in all and their own chef, although Midori insisted on cooking most of the meals. Every day, Sasuke would wake up at 7, eat the breakfast set out for him and go on a morning walk with Kohana. She was gentle, and somewhat quiet, although she would brighten up and talk occasionally. After the one-hour walk with Kohana, he would go "train" with Mamoru. Now, even though Seikan had no ninja, they still had a concept of martial arts, or taijutsu. Mamoru was the local master of the dojo there. He took 2 hours out of his busy schedule to spar with Sasuke. 6 months of bedrest takes a lot out of a person. After "training" was lunch, then after lunch, was his solitary afternoon walk. This took him to dinner, then training alone and then sleep at 12. It was like this everyday, a tireless routine. After 3 months of this, Kohana finally asked him a question that everyone had been avoiding. _

"_Sasuke, how long do you plan to stay? You must have people who worry about you…"_

"_No…I belong no where…as for how long I will stay…I can leave now if you want…"_

"_No! That not what I meant…er..I mean…"_

_Kohana stuttered and turned away. **Wow…she looks really pretty when she does that…WHAT?? WHAT AM I THINKING? HOW** **CAN I…well…she is pretty…**Sasuke was surprised at himself, unbeknownst to himself, he had been falling under Kohana's charm. It wasn't that she was overly beautiful or that she was charming and graceful like her sister. She was quiet and shy. Instead of talking so much like Keiko, she listened and commented on what others said. She was truly "a little flower". A little flower…delicate and meek among the vibrant red blossoms of the field which was her family. She didn't have the extraordinary beauty of her sister, or the muscular form of her twin brother. She was not talented and wise like her mother or firm like her father. Kohana was something else entirely, it defined her in every way, agile, clever, quiet, gentle, these words were not enough to describe her. Slowly, Sasuke melted into the heart of the Jinmei family. It was said that he was to be married to Kohana in the near spring….but then, it happened…_

_------------------------_

WOO HOO!! Cliffy! The next chapter will be mostly flashbacks, like this one. Is that all right? Well, I need a place to explain his past. So forget everything you know in preparation!!

Press the review button. It will not hurt you.

moonlight haku


	8. Unworthy

Thanks for all the review, they encouraged me a lot!!!

**under a lavender sky**- don't suffocate, cause chappie 8 is here!! (ok..that was weird)

ok, ok…I was wrong…just half flashbacks..

**Disclaimer: I wish I will, I wish I might, own Naruto tonight…wait…that's an airplane?!**

o well…

on with the story!!

**------------------------------**

_It was a regular day like any other, Sasuke was alone, training again. He stopped for a moment and wiped the sweat off his brow. Even though it was winter, the sun shone bright and strong. On a regular day like this one, it was scorching. As he settled into a familiar fighting stance, his sensitive ears picked up a distant cry. He regained standing position and squinted at the miniscule figure that was calling out to him. A gust of wind swept up the loose earth and blew a tiny petal across his face. A voice was carried over by the small petal.._

'_Kohana'_

'_Kohana……'_

_**What?! Kohana..? How can the wind…oh never mind…best go check up on her or something… **Sasuke started to run toward the Jinmei property. He had almost reached the main gate when he saw all the doctors and nurses bustling around. Blood-stained towels were quickly being carried out while fresh, white towels were being sent in. Sasuke's heart rate quickened, who was letting out so much blood? It couldn't be Kohana, right?! It just couldn't be! He pushed past all the doctors and ran up the stairs to Kohana's room. The elegant, carved door was slightly ajar, so he push it open with his fingertips. What he saw frightened him. He sank down to the ground below him. There, amidst a huge puddle of blood, was—_

**end flashback**

Sasuke's daydreaming was suddenly cut short as a high scream pierced the silent air. Immediately, he dashed through his door into the hallway. The scream, it sounded so much like Kohana's…**_wait, get a hold of yourself, Sasuke, Kohana's gone…_**he calmed down at this thought and walked back into his room. Whoever was screaming…it wasn't of any interest to him…

---------------------

**(A/N: Yay! Now it's back to Kiba, Neji & (homicidal) TenTen!!!)**

**_Hinata…_**Kiba was frantically running up the stairs as he strained to hear the echo of the high-pitched scream. Akamaru followed, drawing in more and more of Hinata's scent as they neared their destination. In a flash, it seemed as if Kiba had just appeared on the fifth floor. Akamaru's sensitive nose pointed them to a room at the end of the hallway. **_Hinata! Hang on, I'm_ _coming…!_ (A/N: I know, I know, so…cliché-ish…) **He rushed to her door and turned the knob.

"What? Who's here? Hey you! You shou-mmf! mmmhhhfff…etc. "

A busy doctor was starting to scold Kiba for rushing in, but a cold hand from behind him clasped over his mouth, making his words inaudible. Neji had quickly escaped the clutches of his insane wife and had followed Kiba the moment the scream was heard.

"Go, Kiba. The doctor shall hold you off no more…"

The Hyuuga prodigy gave the doctor a chilling stare that seemed to say _make one move, and I'll kill you…_ The frightened doctor gulped audibly, looked over at Sakura, who nodded, and promptly silenced himself. Kiba ran to Hinata's hospital bed, the sheets were soaked with blood, and more was dripping out of her open mouth. Her eyes were closed, but it looked as if she was suffering an eternal nightmare.

"How DARE you run away from me, Neji! I swear, one day I will…oh…oh my…Go..Go..God…."

TenTen stamped into the room, intent on beating up Neji, but the chill in the cold air suddenly silenced her. She took one look at the bloody sheets and sat down hard into a nearby chair. Her face paled and she said no more. Neji let go of the doctor **(A/N: Thank goodness!) **and picked up a blanket, which he wrapped around TenTen as he carried her out of the room. Kiba, however, was still staring at Hinata in shock, although he had seen blood plenty of times and had even tasted it, the red liquid just didn't fit with his fiancé. **(A/N: Yes, now that he has proposed, she's his fiancé. And…embarrassed can someone tell me if it's fiancé for boy or for girl..? I'm under the impression that it's for the girl…runs off ashamed)** Sakura, who had been quietly observing, walked over to Kiba and patted him on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry that you had to see her in such a state, Kiba-kun. If you were wondering about the scream, yes, it seemed as if she was awake for a second, but then slept. Her dreams must be horrible…there's nothing we could do for now…you best go home for now…"

Her voice trailed off as she stared out the window.

"Tsunade-shishou is attending to an important matter…her presence is required there. The best we can do is to keep supplying Hinata with blood and oxygen…go home and rest, Kiba-kun, that's what Hinata-chan would want you to do…"

She then left and began to switch the now empty bag of blood with a fresh package of the red mixture. Her lips pulled into a grim smile and left the room for her office. Kiba stared after her and thought over what she had said. _**No! I won't leave her…I just…can't…**_ he directed his attention back to Hinata, the blood around her mouth was gathering, so he wiped it off with his shirt. Akamaru whimpered and laid his big, furry head against the hospital bed.

"I know, Akamaru…I know. I wish she wasn't like this either…but…"

Loud, choking sobs filled the room, Kiba's eyes were streaming with tears. He truly believed his fate; Hinata would never be alive again…at this rate…who could? He poured all his feeling into his tears...he had never really understood her, never...he was such an idiot to think that she could be his...

**flashback**

_The snow was falling gently in the village of Konoha. Laughter and happiness came from the streets as children pelted each other with snowballs. The warmness was seen and felt by all the inhabitants, including the Hyuugas, for today was Neji and TenTen's wedding day. Since Neji was a branch family member, there was no problem with marrying someone from out of the clan. The bride was exceptionally beautiful on her special day. Her long, silky chocolate hair was let out of the buns and cascading down her shoulder. Light bounced off of her elegant, but simple wedding kimono. It was pure white with a rosy pink slightly tinting the edge. Tiny, pink seed pearls adorned the smooth ends of the fabric. The kimono trailed on the ground behind her when she began walking forward. The crowd sucked in their breath as they regarded the beautiful bride. With skin like soft, white cream and cheeks of pink, she looked like perfection itself. Her melting eyes were huge and bright and on her ears were tiny pink diamonds that sparkled in the light. Her hair was left untouched except for a single carnation stuck behind one ear. She slowly took her place behind a blushing Neji and repeated her vows alongside her beloved. When the final line was said and done_** (A/N: I know that they probably don't say vows in Japan, but lets pretend they did…okay?) **_he dipped her back and kissed her passionately. At this, everyone cheered and hugged each other as they wept tears of joy. Sakura, Naruto, Lee and Kiba ran up to congratulate them. The three senseis merely smiled and slowly walked toward the newlywed couple. Even Shino quickened his normally slow pace to whisper a congratulation to them. Only Hinata hung back now, her cheeks were flushed as she tightly grabbed the silky fabric of her kimono. She was shy, far too shy to even wish her cousin good luck. TenTen understood, and smiled compassionately at her new sister-in-law before being carried off by the enormous crowd. Kiba was following happily when he suddenly realized that Hinata was standing off at a corner, gripping her dress. He looked hesitantly at the crowd and ran over to Hinata. _

"_Er..um…do you want to dance, Hinata-chan?"_

_A pair of silver-lavender eyes looked up in surprise only to connect with his soft chocolate orbs. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair was rippling down to her waist as she smiled shyly. _

"_O..ok…K..Kiba-k..kun." _

_He guided her toward the Hyuuga ballroom and onto the dance floor. They danced the night away, facing every song that came at them. But after the tenth, Hinata collapsed into Kiba's arms. She couldn't hold it in anymore, the pain, the sadness…Kiba carried her into a quiet room. She hid her face into his chest and sobbed, letting out all the pain, all the sadness. He was confused, but neverless, he hugged her tightly and stroked her long, silky hair. After about an hour, the racking sobs quieted down a little, as Hinata started to fall asleep._

"_Um…Hinata..? Why are you.."_

"_Oh…Kiba-kun…y..you could.. n..never u..unders..stand…"_

_Kiba was a bit offended, how could he not understand?! They had been together for 2 years! He said no more, as her breathing slowed and she fell asleep in his arms. He stayed awake and stared off into space. Then it hit him. Today was Neji's wedding, he was marrying TenTen. The only reason that it was aloud was because Neji was a branch family member. Hinata was the heir. She had to marry to preserve the clan. But, Kiba was not a Hyuuga. After seeing the wedding today, she was suddenly reminded of the freedom that she would never have. The goal she would never reach. Her one true failure. His eyes widened in shock, Hinata had been dealing with this…all these years…and he had never understood. Never…how could he be worthy of her, if she was still so mysterious to him? She was still a foreign land, vast and unknown. After two years, he had barely even scratched the surface. He closed his eyes and sighed as a single tear made it's way down Hinata's cheek, a memory of her unreachable dream...__  
_

**end flashback**

---------------------------

Uh…ok..I hope no one kills me for this one! I couldn't think of anything! GOMENNASAI (that means sorry or excuse me, right?)!!!!!!!!!!!! I hoped that you still enjoyed it though. Now i have one more request….touch the button on the left that says "r-e-v-i-e-w", ppppllllleeeaaassseee????

moonlight haku


	9. Hawk

I was so caught up in reading another fanfic (**Heart of the Wolf** by Acayath, it's a CCS fanfic), that I just lost track of time….you can kill me now…

And, there will be lots of _this many months later_, basically a lot of timeskips. Okies?

This will be a very long A/N, since timeskips are VERY confusing XD.

Remember, TenTen was pregnant, 8 months, in April, so after a year, the baby is already 10 months. Let's just pretend she's a very early walker. And she has Ren (means "water lily"), her first girl, 2 years old…so a year later..three! Oh, and Sakura was pregnant before too! (Wowie, how much did I put?!) So, you will see the entrance of her child in another chappie soon to come!. Ok, I'm done. –Whew-

**Disclaimer: I have no more excuses, the main idea is that I don't own Naruto and I probably never will**

**----------------------------------**

The sheets stirred. Kiba snapped out of the trance he had been in. A pale face stared up at him. A pair of light lavender eyes looked weakly up at him. Kiba felt his eyes widen.

"H..hinata?"

She merely smiled and closed her eyes again. A fit of coughing soon followed. The blood-soaked sheets were now dry as the blood started hardening into a crimson shell. No more blood came out of her mouth; it was a dry and piercing cough that went straight into Kiba's heart. He held out some soup that was at her bedside and spooned some into her mouth when the coughing stopped. She sipped some and then fell into a deep slumber once more. Kiba sighed, at least she was still alive.

_6 months later_

The autumn sun shone brightly against a layer of white sheets. **(A/N: It was April when she collapsed, so….October!)** Fruits and flowers were piled up on the small bedside table. The door opened and a pale hand rose to greet the visitor.

"K..kiba-kun!"

"Hinata! You miss me?"

"H..hai"

The beautiful, frail girl who was known as Hyuuga Hinata wrapped her skinny arms around Kiba. She giggled as a huge dog bounded in and started to smother her with licks. Kiba gently shooed the mutt away.

"Gerroff, Akamaru. You can't have her all to yourself!"

Akamaru whimpered (good-naturedly) and backed away slowly. Kiba then held Hinata up bridal style and started to dance around the room with her. Sounds of joyous laughter filled the room, but were soon diminished by loud coughing.

"Ack! Uh…Hinata, you better rest now."

"-cough- it's o..ok Ki..-cough-Kiba-kun..I..i'm –cough- a..alright..-cough cough-"

Kiba laid Hinata down on the bed and piled up some white pillows behind her. She smiled and drifted off into a peaceful sleep. Kiba looked at the figure of his fiancée, she had gone a long way from what she was like when it started. In fact, she had almost gotten better! Every day was still a challenge, and she was still too weak to walk. But, at least she was getting better.

_another 6 months_

**(A/N: Now it is April once more…I'm confused…o.O)**

One, two, three—10 kunai hit the dead center of a tree.

"Very nice, Hinata-chan! _You're_ getting better everyday!"

"Arigatou, Naruto-kun!"

Hinata turned her focus back to the tree as another barrage of kunai hit their target. She had trained to regain her former skills for 4 months now, but those skills were slow in coming. Currently, she was at the level of a Chunnin. There was still a lot more work to be done if she wanted to live up to her Jounin status. As long as she didn't strain herself too much, she could stay away from the hospital. Tsunade herself had even confirmed her health report. –_growl_-Hinata looked up in surprise. Naruto turned red as he looked as his feet.

"Er…it's almost lunchtime…so..um..I better get going! See ya around, Hinata-chan!"

"H..hai, Naruto-chan!"

Hinata held one hand up to hide a giggle as she watched the blond-haired blue eyed ninja crash through the forest with as much grace as a baby elephant. She sighed and looked at the tree, **_I should get some lunch too, now that he mentioned it_** , after a short series of simple hand signs, the kunai were back in her pouch. She had put a seal on them that returned them to her pouch when beckoned.**(A/N: I don't think that this kind of seal is possible…but oh well ****)** Her chakra hadn't been diminished during her long illness, so putting a simple seal on an inanimate object wasn't hard. A scattering of houses soon came into view as she approached the edge of the village. The training area that she trained in was at the very edges of Konoha. A gust of wind blew the loose petals of the first cherry blossoms through her blue-black hair. As I was trying to decide where to go for lunch, I spotted a little girl running through the streets. She was chasing a cat, and angry calls came from her mother behind her.

"REN!!! I told you a thousand times that you shouldn't chase that poor cat! Now, come here—oh! Konichiha Hinata-chan!"

It was the Weapons Mistress, Hyuuga TenTen, angrily chasing after her firstborn. She was holding Kisho (means "one who knows his own mind"), who was ten months and walking already!

"K..konichiha to y..you too, T..ten-ch..chan! Do y..you need s…some h..help?"

"Nah, it's al—"

It seemed that Kisho got a bit bored and had decided to jump out of his mother's grasp. He was falling, almost crashing onto the ground when a pale hand caught him.

"I..it's o..okay, T…ten-chan. I'll h..help!"

Hinata cradled the gurgling infant up into her arms and began softly singing a lullaby. She had a natural way with babies and was the most motherly of them all. TenTen focused on chasing Ren. Ren ran right into a wooden fence while running after the cat and started wailing. TenTen shook her head and sighed.

"See Ren? That's why you shouldn't chase after her. Let's go home and then I'll make you some dango for dessert, how about that?"

She turned to Hinata and said.

"You've grown, Hinata-chan! I haven't seen you in such a long time. You want to come over for lunch? Ok, let's go!"

"YAY!!! Auntie Hinata's coming for lunch!!"

Without waiting for an answer, TenTen dragged Hinata all the way to the Hyuuga complex. The branch family loved in a smaller mansion than the main branch, but it was still one of the largest in Konoha. Over a lunch of soba, the two friends caught up on their lives. After lunch, TenTen brought Kisho to his crib for a nap. Hinata was entrancing Ren with stories, although the stuttering slowed things down a bit. As TenTen walked back into the living room, a white hawk suddenly appeared overhead. It let out a distinct cry as descended upon the rooftop of the Hyuuga mansion. Both of the kunoichis' head snapped upward at the roof to stare at the oddly-colored hawk. It was one of Tsunade's rare breeds, and sending ti here could only mean trouble. Swiftly, TenTen jumped up to the rooftop tiles to retreive the note attached to the hawks legs. As the parchments unfurled, her eyes grew worried. She leaped down and spoke quickly.

"Tsunade needs our presence immediately, she has already called the others. We should hurry."

With one hand, she beckoned a waiting servant from out of the shadows, and hurridely gave her instructions to look over the house while she was gone. While still a child, Ren seemed to understand the severity of what was going on. She turned her pearly, white eyes up toward her mother's chocolate brown orbs.

"Mommy, when are you going to come back?"

Her voice, while strong, carried a quiver of fear that she may never see her mommy again.

"It's alright, Ren. Mommy will come back safe and sound, just wait here and don't get in any trouble until Mommy comes back. Ok?"

"Hai…"

TenTen turned her loving eyes away from Ren's and spoke urgently to Hinata,

"C'mon. She's waiting, let's go."

Without a single word, the two ninjas lept quietly to the treetops.

----------------------

sorry for that super long wait! I hope that you enjoyed this chapter at least. It was wuite hard to come up with. So in order to reward my efforts and –cough- show you _appreciation_ –cough- please review?

moonlight haku


	10. Leave

ARIGATOU to all my fantastic supporters. This has been such a hard chapter for me to write, as you all see….i even know how I'm going to end this fanfic, but I just can't write this part…

Sorry for the spelling mistakes, the spellcheck on my computer sorta –disappeared- and I am checking as best as I can (wah!! i'm still young!!)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did, then this would probably happen! 

-----------------------------------

Everything was in a state of confusion in Tsunade's office. The normally neat and crisp desk was strewn over with wayward papers and broken pencils. Mission reports and plans were stuffed in one corner while important village matters were on the other. Between all those were…let's just say it wasn't too pretty. Thirteen ninja stood amongst the mess. Head count, Uchiha Sasuke, Uzimaki Naruto, Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, Akamichi Chouji & Ino, Hyuuga Neji & TenTen, Aburame Shino, Rock Lee, Nara Shikamaru & Temari, and Hatake Sakura.

Tsunade stared at all the ninja standing in front of her. As she spoke, her voice was strong and clear, but with a whisper of nervousness.

"Alright. As you see we have a problem. A new uprising in Suna is occurring as we speak. It seems that a military leader has risen above his appointed post and has decided to rebel. Any questions?"

All of the ninja merely shook there heads slightly and continued to glare at the blond. Tsunade cleared her throat and continued.

"It seems that Gaara, the Kazekage as you know, needs our help. I have decided to dispatch you into separate groups. Now listen closely, here are the plans…"

_the next day_

"Are you ready, Hinata?"

"H..hai, K..kiba-k..kun."

Kiba watched as his thin teammate hoisted her bag onto her back, she hadn't packed much, but all the same, he was worried. He sighed, they would be leaving in approximately half an hour.

"Oi! Are you guys ready yet? We've got a mission to accomplish, dattebayo! **(A/N: one of the rare places I make Naruto say "dattebayo")**

Naruto was full of energy and eager to get started on the mission. Sasuke stood beside him, eyes staring unmovingly into the distance. Without warning, he raised his hand and bopped Naruto over the head.

"H-hey! What was th-"

"Be quiet you baka. You're _annoying _"

"RRRR…"

"Shut up you! It's no use. You're an idiot and will always be."

"How dare you! I'll be Hokage, just wait you see!"

"You idiot…"

As the two went on bickering, Kiba sighed hopelessly again. It was just like the old times, Naruto hates Sasuke and Sasuke hates Naruto. A pale hand suddenly made him turn away. Light lavender eyes stared up at him.

"L..let's go, K..kiba-kun."

"Ah..er…ok. C'mere, Akamaru!"

Kiba put his hand around Hinata's should her and hugged her before taking her hand as they walked to the bench where Naruto and Sasuke were fighting. The couple stared at the two idiots who were arguing.

"NARUTO NO BAKA!!! SASUKE NO BA-WAUGHH!!!!"

As Kiba was yelling at them to cease their fighting, both tackled him since he called them both "baka". Hinata, followed by Akamaru, gingerly stepped aside and looked at the situation in front of them.

"Oh d..dear.."

BAM. All three guys suddenly flew apart. Hyuuga Neji stood there in Gentle Fist stance. Flaming blue chakra eminated from his hand. He glared sternly at all the jounin men.

"Don't you have a mission to accomplish?! Now get going! Do you understand?!!!"

"Er..um..yes, sir!"

"Ow…fine, fine…IT'S NOT OVER YET, SASUKE!!"

"…"

All three guys jumped up after the Hyuuga clan leader's barking. **(A/N: Don't kill me. Hinata was supposed to be leader, but she was sick and all, so Neji took over her role until she was ready to assume the position.) **Neji turned on his heels and walked back to the Hyuuga manor. All four stared back at him, then Naruto started snickering.

"Must be getting on his nerves; since he couldn't go on the mission, he's useless!"

"Baka, you know he's better than you, so you don't have to taunt him."

"KIBA!!! JUST WAIT YOU SEE, I'LL BE-"

_You better not be fighting again…. _a cold voice rang out from the wind as they started to argue. All three broke out into sweat as Hinata giggled as her cousin materialized in front of them.

"Er…NO SIR!"

"…good..NOW GET GOING, YOU GOOFBALLS!!"

"YESSIR!"

Neji disappeared and without further ado, all four ninja and a dog leaped over the houses to the village gate.

-------------------------------------

"Shikaa-kuuun, are you done yet?!"

Temari called out to her husband as she pulled her bag over her shoulders. Her son, Jiro peered over the low table that was currently under the weight of over 30 pounds. His gleaming, onyx eyes looked up at his purple-clad mother. He watched silently as his mother stomped up the stairs to yell at her husband. Then he rolled onto the floor and fell asleep. Yes, this child has his daddy's genes. Upstairs, Temari was dragging Shikamaru off the bed that he fell alsleep on and pushed him down the stairs.

"WE HAVE A MISSION, LAZY-BUM!!! NOW GET OVER THERE BY THAT DOOR!!!"

Jiro was still asleep on the floor. He must be used to this. Temari's look softened as she walked down the stairs and tucked Jiro into his blanket. Just as she finished, a knock came from the door.

"Eh! It's Sakura and..uh…Shino!"

"Oh! Ok, come on in."

Sakura and Shino let themselves in and stopped in the living room to survey the messy house. Neither of the couple (Shikamaru&Temari) noticed them gawking at how messy the place was. Finally, it was Sakura who said:

"Er…we have a mission in a half hour…unless you're busy.."

Her voice trailed off as she saw Shikamaru lurch to his feet and stumble sleepily towards the door. From a distance, Temari shook her head and sighed.

"That's my lazy husband,. Always sleepy. He'll wake up soon enough, now I just need to get Jiro over to the Hyuugas."

With that, she slapped Shikamaru on the back of the head. That instantly woke him up. He looked over grumpily at Temari.

"Troublesome woman…"

"C'MON WE HAVE A MISSION JUST IN CASE YOU DIDN"T NOTICE!!!"

"Fine, fine..what a drag…"

"ARR..never mind.."

Sakura looked uneasily at the couple.

"Um, we should get going now…"

All four ninja disappeared with a poof of smoke.

---------------------

In the distance, a tall man with raven black hair looked over the village of Konoha. Beside him, stood a shorter figure with cerulean eyes and blond hair.

"We'll destroy them…won't we, Naruto..?"

"Hai, sensei.."

With that, master and apprentice disappeared into the trees above.

----------------------------

BEST CLIFFY IN THE WORLD!!! Hehe, betcha that you never thought THAT would happen. Oh well, you'll just hafta wait. everything will clear up in some coming chapters. I have lots of ideas now…oh and if it was confusing…Konoha is sending 2 teams out to Suna. Team One: Sasuke, Naruto(??), Hinata, Kiba (&Akamaru, duh). Team 2: Temari, Shikamaru, Sakura, Shino.

Please review, it'll help me:3

moonlight haku


	11. Evil

Well, I'm pretty sure everyone would like to know what's gonna happen –smile-

This isn't going to be a "dark naruto" fiction or anything. Just so I wont "confuse" anyone. I will sort out all the facts shortly. –well, not really..-

Disclaimer: I don't own the character –all the characters cheer-…hey! I heard that! –all the characters make a run for it- ..augh! I need you for my story! Get back here!…wait, -scowl- CUT!!!

---------------------------

Several hours had passed since they **(A/N: Obviously Kiba, Hinata, Sasuke and –idiot- Naruto) **had left Konoha. It would take them a total of three days to reach Suna. So far, there was no trouble, but something seemed…wrong. Kiba noticed anf offerd to stay guard for the rest of the impending night. After the rest of the group wearily turned in, Kiba and Aka maru settled down on a high rock. A full moon shone brightly overhead in the pitch-black night sky and that meant nothing but trouble. Thieves and enemy ninja traveled silently and swiftly in the light. Although alert, Kiba's mind started to wander toward something other than guarding.

**flashback**

_Tsunade's weary face looked up at Kiba. Her dry mouth opened as words crawled out. _

"_Kiba, do you understand the gravity of this mssion?"_

"_Er…yes.?"_

_She sighed, dark circles dancing beneath her eyes. _

"_Reports of a mysterious man and his apprentice have turned up at every village. Everywhere, they have wreaked havoc and is number one on every village's bingo books. Their identity is unknown; although the apprentice is said to have revealed a shocking resemblance to the Fourth Hokage. Blue eyes and blond hair, payhaps even whiskers on each cheek. Who does that sound like, Kiba?"_

"_N-naruto?! But it couldn't possibly-"_

"_Yes, I understand, Kiba. But it cuold, after all, he has been gone for a long, long time. We have no idea what he has encountered, what he really believes now."_

_Tsunade once again sighed miserbly and flipped through her desk dully. After a moment of awkard silence, her blond head raised up to meet Kiba's eyes. _

"_Also, this may be Hinata's last mission-"_

"_W—what? But-"_

"_Listen, Kiba. I know it may be hard to swallow, but take it easy. The only reason she is able to go is because of Lord Hiashi, her father. He loves her more than he lets on, for his reson also, I have one last favor and mission to ask and assign you."_

"_W-what is it?"_

_she took a deep breath and looked straight into his eyes, her eyes full of shadows and of comprehending doom. The next words were unimaginable. _

"_Whatever you do Kiba, don't let her die."_

**end flashback**

'_don't let her die…' _Those words still echoed in his ears. He was ready to protect her with his life; no one would get away with touching her if he could help it, but uncertainty flashed through his mind. Originally, he had thought Hinata's father hated him, now…he didn't know what to think. Tsunade had said that it was because of Lord Hiashi that Hinata was going, but what did that mean? Those thoughts started to whirl around Kiba's head amd he felt his eyelids suddenly growing heavy. He felt so sleepy….WOOF! Akamaru's frantic barking woke him out of his almost-slumber. White feathers floated all around him. A genjustu! He quickly concentrate his chakra and preformed a release (开) as he jumped back to camp to check up on the others. Hinata was asleep, taken by the genjustu or just plain sleep, he couldn't tell. He touched her and Hinata disppeared in a puff of smoke.

"NANI??!!"

"K..kiba?"

At the voice he whirled around to see the real Hinata, the one who was "sleeping" was a clone! **(A/N: I don't approve of wimpy Hinata, so if that's what the story seemed like, my mistake ) **

"Oh, Hinata, it's you. Thank goodness!"

Kiba reverted his eyes to where Sasuke was. He couldn't believe his eyes, the blanket was empty, quickly, and he looked over at Naruto's spot. He was gone too!

"Their gone! Sasuke and Naruto…they're gone!"

He turned around to face Hinata.

"Activate your byakugan, Hinata, let's find them!"

"H-hai."

She crinkled her eyes for a second and bulging veins appeared alongside both eyes. Lifting her head, her lavender eyes scanned the area with her byakugan. At a cluster of trees to the north, she stopped and nodded toward that direction.

"Th-that way."

--------------------------------

A dark figure watched the two ninja from the treetops. He glanced at them with indescribable eyes, so full of evil and malice that demons would fall to him. Silently, he watched them fight. He chuckled evilly, his apprentice was doing well. The other boy? Not a chance.

--------------------------------

"Hn!"

Sasuke dodged the fully formed Rasengan. Leaping back onto a nearby tree, he sent 10 kunai flying toward his assailant as he performed the Dragon Fire Technique along the invisible wires attached to the lethal weapons. Fire jumped and traveled along the strings roped around the kunai. The so called "victim" smirked, this would be so easy. He jumped and appeared behind Sasuke.

"You'll never beat me."

"Grrr…"

Suddenly, Sasuke's already fully activated Sharingan eyes turned Mangekyo Sharingan.

"I was going to save this for later, but now, I'll use it to finally knock some sense back into you---TRAITOR!"

Obviously, the blond was taken aback.

"Wh-when did you gain the M-mangekyo?"

"The person I looked up to betrayed me, I threw my life away for revenge, then I lost the most precious person to me. Now---my best friend has betrayed me and his village, how could I not gain the Mangekyo after so much suffering?!"

Roaring, Sasuke drew his Kusanagi sword **(A/N: yes, he still has his sword )** and channeled One Thousand Birds Current into it. His face appeared emotionless as he leaped through the air. The other followed and Sasuke appeared behind him as he sliced his empowered sword toward the other. The blond looked back in surprise. Bad move. Sasuke's Mangekyo was activated and that was no good situation.

"SASUKE! WHAT THE H--- ARE YOU DOING?!"

A familiar voice tore through the midst of fighting.

"N-naruto!"

Finally, Hinata's byakugan had found them. Sasuke glared at Naruto and screamed to them.

"GET AWAY!! Can't you see? He's evil, that's not the Naruto we know---that one is gone. GET AWAY! I wont let you die too!"

Kiba and Hinata gaped at Sasuke. When did he turn into this? The Sasuke they knew was cold and bent on revenge, now he was willing to sacrifice his life for them? It was unbelievable, but strangely, they didn't feel that he was lying, maybe he had really changed. But…why?

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! GET OUT, NOW!"

At that moment, Sasuke's genjustu released and Naruto fell as his Mangekyo was replaced by regular Sharingan. Slowly, Naruto got up and snarled.

"This isn't over, Uchiha."

Dark clouds formed around him as he disappeared.

-------------------

Sorry if you don't like the cliffhangers, I can't help it XD XD XD….

Thanx for reviewing guys, I'll try not to be so lazy in typing. bibi!

Moonlight haku


	12. Chaos

I'm going to try to put an end to this story and work on a sequel. I already have the ending and sequel thingy in mind, but I just don't know how to bring it to that part T.T

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto; he refused to sign the contract TT.TT 

**---------------------------------------**

The dark smoke engulfed the clearing and covered everyone in a heavy cloud. As the smoke dissipated, Sasuke same into view but Naruto was gone. Without looking around, Sasuke's eyes turned dark and expression malevolent.

"Why didn't your run?"

His voice came out as a growl, low, deep and menacing.

"Why…?" **(A/N: Imagine Gaara in that half-Shukaku form :3)**

Kiba said nothing (possibly still absorbing the shock, he's slow :P). At his side, Hinata was trembling, her eyes wide and scared. After an awkward moment of silence where scary music played in the background, Hinata took a shaky breath and said:

"Um, d-do you th-think-k w-we sh-should b-be go-going ba-back n-now..?"

"er….i guess so…"

"U..um, S-sasuke-s-san, ar-are y-"

"Never mind the snake-boy, let's just go."

"A-are y-you s-sur-"

"C'mon Hinata, let's go!"

With a defeated look, Hinata jumped into the trees behind them with Kiba.

(A/N: remember the other team? That one w/ Shino, Sakura, Temari and Shikamaru?? Remember?)

Sakura sighed defeatedly; she hated this mission.

First of all, she was separated with her beloved Kakashi-kun, and she had to be with _them._

Of all people.

"Shikamaru! Get your lazy bum over here right now!"

"Fine, fine….what a drag…"

"What did you say?!"

A bulging red vein popped on Temari's forehead. Shikamaru took one look at it and shut up.

"Er, nothing. I'm coming, I'm coming…"

Seriously, she was surprised that those two hadn't murdered each other at this rate. But she and Kakashi-kun on the other hand….well, let's just say that they were a perfect lovey-dovey couple. (A/N: blehhh XP)

Shikamaru had picked up his pace for nary a minute and then had fallen behind them again. He started to mutter under his breath. Sakura caught snippets of sounds that sounded like:

"drag….oh man…that woman..troublesome…"

Temari must've heard it too, because then her face underwent a most curious transformation. First, more bulging veins popped on her forehead as her ace turned pink, the red…then tight before she looked as if she was going to blow, she turned around to face Shikamaru. Then the ear-blowing shouts began. Welcome to the nuclear age.

"I HEARD THAT SHIKAMARU! NOW GET YOU LAZY A - - OVER HERE OR I AM SO GOING TO KILL YOU!!!!! DID YOU HERE ME! NOW GET OVER HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Apparently, Shikamaru was used to this already. He just sighed and stared at the ground beneath his dragging feet. (A/N: Can you believe it? This has all been happening while they were traveling to Suna.)

"Troublesome woman…"

Now Temari was mad.

"WHATDIDYOUSAY??!!IFYOUSAYTHATAGAINYOUWILLNEVERSEETHELIGHTOFDAYAGAIN!!!!!!!!!!"

and so it went for the rest of the trip. 

----------------------

In Sunagakure, or just plain Suna

"Are they here yet?"

A young man about 19 or 20 with red hair and turquoise eyes looked impatiently over his desert empire. A young attendent stood by his side, sweating in his presence.

"Not yet, Kazekage-sama, I expect them to be here in about a day."

"Good, those robbers and getting restless. We'll need they're help."

"Kazekage-sama, may I ask why these 8 are so special?"

A stiff smile showed on the man's pale face. He chuckled dryly.

"Among them is the best tracing team ever formed. A Hyuuga, an Inuzuka, and Aburame. Those three will be critical to our mission. Two are possibly the best candidates for Hokage of the Hidden Leaf, the Uchiha and that Uzimaki boy. The pink-haired girl is not to be underestimated. She trained under Tsunade and is second to only her sensei in strength and is possibly one of the best medic ninjas in the world. That leaves two others, strategists. Shikamaru, although lazy, has a superhuman IQ of over 200, while my sister Temari, is not so bad either, she's the muscle while he tend to be a very lazy brain."

The attendant seemed very impressed that his Kazekage had chosen such eligible ninja to complete this task.

"Then, Kazekage-sama, this uprising must be a small matter compared to these teams."

The Kazekage's eyes darkened, his face was dark and hopeful.

"It will not be an easy task, especially for some. Some will be blinded by love, other's by evil, while still others by memories. Only when they can work out their problems can they ever succeed as a team."

---------------------------

well, not so much of a cliffy 

this was a supershort one, but sorry. At least I updated!!!

Oh yeah, REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!!!!

moonlight haku


	13. Shock

I'm baaack!!!! Not that I've been away. Ok, here's chapter 13….

**Disclaimer: I'm getting tired of this…can't you just see I DON'T OWN NARUTO?! shakes and takes a deep breath**

--------------------------------------------

The golden rays of the rising dawn illuminated to sky as it silently rose up from the edge of the world. The sky took on a pink hue, similar to the blushing of a newlywed. Darkness turned to light and the sky, bright blue again. Birds' chirps and the leaves rustled as they spread their feathery wings and took flight into the sky. The sunlight shone on every pebble, sand and rock on the ground, lighting them up like paper lanterns on New Year's Eve.

It also, consequently, illuminated a pale face, sitting on a gray, speckled rock. Her lavender eyes stared incoherently at the rising fire, completely unaware of her surroundings. From far away, she might have seemed calm, with not a worry in the world…but as you step closer, the fear and uncertainty in her eyes are prominent.

While her face might seem cool and collected, her thoughts rose up like dark, menacing smoke in the cavern of her thoughts, threatening to choke and strangle her entire being.

For her memories were painful, lethal, unbearable….

A rough and tanned hand patted her shoulder, but received no perceivable response. A gentle voice whispered her name quietly, as if not to shatter the delicate balance of nature.

"Hinata? Are you alright?"

Finally, her brain seemed to register the question and sent back an answer. Her voice returned and without taking her gaze off the blazing sun, she replied softly.

"Yes…d-don't w-worry a-about m-me…"

"You always say that! How long have you been up? To be sitting like a statue at this early, you must have been here…for… I don't know…hours!"

With a stoic expression, she replied.

"Just d-don't w-worry ab-about-t m-me….i..i'll b-be j-j-just f-fine…"

The man sighed, she wasn't alright, but she would never admit it. This innocence, the fragility, this caring for others…never admitting her own pain….how..after all these year, is she still capable of such pure thoughts?

Sighing, he sat down next to her and wrapped his warm arm around her cold shoulders. He gazed at her, her light purple eyes, her creamy complexion, her taut lips….bleeding and wet from biting on it out of nervousness.

"I know there's something wrong. Just tell me Hinata, can't you?"

She shook her head vigorously, her tired eyes and mind on the edge of collapse.

"No…"

She whispered quietly.

"No…."

Kiba sighed, he would just have to force it onto her….oh, how he hated to hurt her…yet staying like this wouldn't do anything for her, or him.

"It was yesterday night, wasn't it? Seeing Naruto like that, you were frightened, brokenhearted, weren't you. Dammit, why did he have to be like that, that..that…insane baka!!"

Those words came out with such unintended force and anger that Hinata started sobbing into his jacket. Crying her tears out, crying out all the anguish of last night, crying out the tragedy of her precious friend and former comrade. Why..why did the world have to be like this? Why..?

_tap_. _tap._

"So, are you just going to sit there like that the whole time? Get up, we've got a village to get to and a feud to end!"

Uchiha had finally come back.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

In Suna, Underground 

"Lord Kazekage!!"

Gaara spun around as his sand crushed another enemy ninja to the voice of his attendant calling to him.

"Are you alright?!"

He tightened his fist and crushed yet another opponent.

"Now…I am…"

"Good, we should leave and wait for backup. C'mon, Lord Kazekage!"

"No…we should be able to hold out, if we leave---"

Yet another three ninja perished in his deadly sand.

"—then they might hurt the village…no, we'll stay.."

With downcast eyes, the attendant sighed. His Kazekage could be so stubborn sometimes.

"Very well."

He fended off another ninja and yelled:

"Keep it up! We can't risk this going into the village!"

Those ninja better get over here…we can't hold on forever… 

----------------------------------------------------------------

Team Sakura 

"Um…guys?"

Sakura blinked sleepily. Where was Kakashi..? Oh yeah, she was on a mission without him for once…augh…what in the world woke her up this early?

"Wake up guys, I think that Gaara seriously need our help!"

"What? How would you know that? He's—yawn----in trouble?"

She blinked a few more times, and then prepared to go back to her dreams of Kakashi again. Temari shook her shoulder until she was awake again.

"What? What?! I need my sleep…"

"This is important, Sakura! It's like a brother sister thing…c'mon wake up!!"

The pink-haired woman bit her lip_: __Temari and Gaara weren't the tightest of sibling, and besides, wasn't the telepathic thingy supposed to be twin-to-twin…? Ack, how would I know, I am an only child, after all…_ Seeing that there wasn't an iota of chance that she would sleep again, she stumbled out of her blanket and yawned. Temari rolled her impatient eyes at the pink-haired damsel and immediately woke the others.

Shikamaru was already awake and just pretending to sleep, so things got a bit out of hand. Shino, on the other hand, seemed to be collecting bugs already. It would seem he had gotten up in the wee little hours of the morning, or just didn't sleep.

_30 minutes later_

"Alright! We're ready to go!!"

The rest of her teammates groaned, except for Shino, he didn't even make a sound. Temari whirled around.

"You're ninja, remember? Or did you forget the point of this mission? The sooner we get there the better! Now let's go!"

The trees trembled at their departure.

-------------------------------------------------------

_Back to Team Naruto (?)_

"What're you doing here?"

"I'm part of this team, or did you just forget? We have a mission to accomplish and we'll definitely get it done. Naruto or not."

Kiba sighed, as Sasuke snapped at him. Obviously he wasn't very chipper, but then again, was he ever?

"Just a moment."

Turning around to Hinata, he whispered:

"C'mon, we got to go. Just don't think about it okay?"

"O-ok…"

"Aishiteru, Hinata. Now let's go!"

Unbeknownst to him, Hinata nodded slightly and whispered:

"Aishiteru…Kiba…"

----------------------------------------------------

ok….it got a bit weird at the end…..T.T I hope that you don't find them too OOC, I'm trying my best here. But just tell me if you think so, capiche? And uh, I'll update soon, sorry it was so short. Bya!

moonlight haku


	14. Suna

Yay! I'm finally updating again…I feel so much guilt if I don't! Oh, and since I feel like it, Team Naruto has become Team One, and the Team Two. Just makes it a lot easier too. ok, no hold up any longer, enjoy!

**Disclaimer: ……..me not own Naruto**

------------------------------------------------

_In Suna (underground)_

"I think we can rest for now. The next wave will be slow in coming."

Gaara flicked the sweat that was dripping down his face as he fought to catch his breath. They were right, he couldn't hold the enemy off forever, even the reinforcements were out of breath. Silently, he calculated that so far the enemy ninja were dead, for now…but he had lost almost 20 men. Anyone who had participated in ninja wars, or secluded battle would count that fortunate, but not him. It was his job to protect his people, but so far, he was failing.

"Lord Kazekage, we can't go on much longer! We need help, or else…."

The red haired leader silenced him with a gesture, he closed his eyes and muttered.

'They'll be here soon, don't worry."

"Yes…Lord Kazekage.."

"Now get some rest, I need your chakra up to full strength to prepare for the next attack."

"Yes, Lord Kazekage."

-----------------------------------------------

_Team Two_

The team stopped to catch their breath. They've been going at a nonstop rate since dawn. And now, it was early afternoon. The desert made them even more tired than usual. Sakura lifted her tired head as a small smile overcame her face.

"Look! There's Naruto!"

"And some creepy old man, I wonder who he is?"

Shikamaru added as he followed Sakura's eyes. Temari came up behind them and looked quizzically as she asked:

"Where's the rest of the team?"

"I dunno,"

Sakura looked all around here, there was no one, except for her team and …

"Hey! They're gone!"

Temari said.

"Whadya mean gone?! He never leaves his teanmmates alone anywhere! Why'd he leave with that old person?!"

Temari scratched her head in confusion, suddenly her eyes lit up and she forgot all about what they had just seen.

"Hey guys! I can see the walls to Suna! C'mon, we can make it there in 2 hours if we hurry!"

Shikamaru and Sakura groaned as Shino just stood there quietly, a big vein popped on Temari's forehead. She slowly turned around and faced the group.

"Ok, I know that you're all tired, but we need to get there fast! I don't know why, but we just do!"

"It's not that we don't want to go, Temari-san, it's just that…oh, never mind, let's go."

A smug smile tugged up Temari's face as Sakura admitted defeat, she loved to win so much.

-----------------------------------------

_Team One_

"Hey look! We've reached the desert! Now it'll only be a day until we get there! Right on schedule."

"Yeah…"

Sasuke stood beside Kiba as he stared out into the hot desert. Heat waves rose up from the desert and desended upon them like locusts. Akamaru sniffed at the wind anxiously. They would have to hurry so they wouldn't get dehydrated. After a minute, he turned around and glared at the couple.

"C'mon, let's try getting there in half a day."

"Wow, it isn't everyday that you see someone so crazy about crossing a seemingly endless desert."

Sasuke's mood darkened. His hands curled up into a fist and his robe covered shouldered trembled ever so slightly.

"This isn't funny. There's no time for jokes!"

Opting not to reply, Kiba looked at his teammate and beckoned Hinata along. He knew what exactly was making Sasuke so on edge, butit was his own battle to fight and he, however, should just stay out of it.

Without a word, the four of them left, leaving not even footprints in their place.

-----------------------------------------

_In Suna_ _(underground)_

"They're coming! Get ready, their here!"

_Hmmm,_ Gaara thought, _not even reserving the element of surprise. That's unusual…unless he has something more up his sleeve, something that doesn't require a surprise, something more powerful…but, what? Wait….it couldn't possibly be--- _a kunai interrupted his thoughts as the sand flew up to his protection. At least he didn't have to worry about weapons hitting him, sand spirit or not.

"Daydreaming already, Lord Kazekage? Hope you're not getting too soft."

A masked man taunted him as he appeared in from of him. Quiet as ever, Gaara sighed inwardly, this was going to be a long day.

---------------------------------------------------

_Team Two_

_God, I hate it when he just disappears. It's just so nerve-wracking! _Temari thought, _especially since he's Kazekage now, but he is __**still **__my little brother!_ They had finally made it to Suna after two hours. Ignoring her teammates complaints, she dashed straight to his office only to find him gone. She also couldn't find most of the ninjas that usually guarded to building. The streets were empty and it was beginning to freak her out.

"Calm down, Temari-san, I'm sure he's okay. He IS Kazekage, after all."

_Yeah, Kazekage this, Kazekage that! It's so frustrating!!! Why can't anyone ever see that he's my younger brother?! _

She whipped around and barked to a guard:

"Hey! You there! Where's Gaara?!"

The guard looked shocked, people usually don't turn around and yell out of nowhere like that. It was a bit unnerving. Aftter a few seconds, he regained his compostion.

"_Lord Kazekage_ isn't in his office at this moment, if you have an appoint—"

"I already KNOW THAT!! AND I DON'T NEED A FREAKIN' APPOINTMENT TO SEE MY BROTHER!!!"

Sakura smiled sympathetically, she turned toward the guard and smiled.

"You probably haven't been on the job for a a very long time. This is Temari no Sabaku-san, Gaara's older sister. We're one of the teams that have been dispatched from Konoha to help."

The guard looked a bit puzzled and frightened after Sakura finished her introduction.

"I apologize. The Kazekage is somewhere in the underground tunnels fighting the traitors."

"WHAT?! WHERE??!!!"

The guard stepped back and stumbled.

"Um..er…I th-think that it w-was some-somewhere n-near the e-entrance…don't hurt me!!"

Sakura grinned:

"Now, now, no one's gonna hurt you. Just run along and forget that you ever had this conversation."

The guard nodded and ran away like the wind. Now the pink-haired ninja turned toward her companion.

"Jeez, Temari-san, it wouldn't hurt to be a bit more gentle next time. Hey! Are you even listening?!"

Temari had ran off in the direction of the gate with the rest of the team following not too far behind. Sakura balked and ran after them.

-----------------------------------------------------------

_Team's One & Two United_

Kiba's POV

"Hey look! We're here! Hey….I wonder where all the guards ran off to."

"K-kiba-kun! Th-there's T-temari-san!"

"Yeah…we're here."

Well, at least we're all on the same page. More or less. Of course, Sasuke's never much of an enthusiast for anything, but then again, who could blame him? At least we're here. And, we're alive, that's a bonus.

"Where's Temari running to?"

Sasuke pointed to a blond figurine approaching us.

"I dunno, maybe she's going somewhere? Like the objective of our mission—hey! Wait up for me!"

Without waiting to listen to my words, Hinata and Sasuke were already headed toward the other team.

--------------------------------------------------

Temari's POV

Hey, who's that? A dark haired girl, and a dark haired boy and a brown haired boy! Now we're just missing another blondie, I wonder where he is?

"H-hey! T-temari-s-san!"

"Eh? Oh! Hinata-san! You're here! Where's Naruto?"

At the mention of her teammate, her face darkened and tears threatened to fall out of her glistening eyes. Sakura caught up just in time. Her turquoise eyes opened wide.

"Oh. My. God. He's alive, right? Nothing happened to him, right? I mean, we just saw him the other day in the the desert!"

Sasuke looked confused and muttered under his breath.

"That might be possible…"

"What is going on. How come he's not here?"

"H-he l-le…"

"He left."

"WHAT?! YOU F' LIAR! NARUTO WOULD NEVER—"

"Well, he did,"

"Ok, okay…Sasuke, Hinata, Kiba and whatever. You guys can tell us later Right now, we have some enemies to take care of!"

-----------------------------------------------------

_Suna(underground)_

Gaara's POV

Ten down, lots more to go. These enemies are endless! There seem to be more and more of them every moment! Wait. Temari's here. Finally, what took her so long? A bead of sweat dripped off my forehead as this enemies tried to send a flying kick over my way. I dodged, it hit the wall, made a hole and broke his foot. How annoying. Well, time to finish another one off. I made the increasingly familiar hand signs and my desert coffin crushed yet another foe.

"Gaara!"

"Temari."

"Oh! I'm so glad you're okay! What's happening?!"

She dodged a flying kunai from another enemy. It isn't everyday you see a Kazekage fighting in the sewer, I guess.

"Nothing. Just start fighting, I'll fill you in later. Where's Naruto?"

"Oh, that, I'm wondering myself. We'll fill you in later. Now, time to kick some butt!"

-------------------------------------------------

I will try to end this fanfic pretty soon. Maybe a couple of chapters more or so. I hope that you enjoyed reading this! (oh, and don't forget to review!)

moonlight haku


	15. Down Below

Chapter 15! I hope that I haven't bored any of you out of your skulls. The reviews help, y'know. It motivates me and actually reminds me that some people are actually reading this…

Oh, and I really stink at battle scenes, just a warning TT

**Disclaimer: Kishimoto Naruto**

**----------------------------------------------------------------------------**

_Suna(underground)_

Temari's POV

I whipped out my fan and sweeped some unsuspecting ninja off their feet and into the wall behind them. The ground shook with the impact as they slid to the ground and remained motionless. That should've taught them to mess with me, I silently retorted. Then Sakura appeared right beside me with a serious look in her face as she neatly sliced another ninja's leg muscle with her chakra scalpel.

"You don't have to kill them!"

Eying the collapsed ninja, I smiled a bit.

"Not much better than what you're doing."

Frustrated, Sakura rolled her eyes and took off. Still, I guess I should go a bit easier…ack! That kunai almost cut my face open!

"Pay---attention, Temari---san!"

Sakura managed to spit out those words as she skillfully dodged a ninja to duck under and knock him to his knees. Right. I'll stop thinking, and start kicking butt. Thinking can come later.

-----------------------------------------------

Normal POV

Temari dodged another kunai only to see five more shuriken headed her way. She easily dodged them only to them explode as they hit to wall. _What a cheap trick,_ she thought. Without looking, she sent a flying kick over to her assailant. He flew into the wall and fell to the floor. Blood dripped onto the floor as he struggled to get up. As he did, his mask fell, revealing childish features.

"Wait a minute, you're just a kid!"

Temari was astonished. No wonder he was so weak, he could only be a genin! _What kind of evil mastermind would do this? _ she thought spitefully, _you're too young for this…_

"Don't get up, play dead, I'll pick you up later."

To her surprise, the youngster shook his head and glared defiantly at her. He had an oddly strange but familiar fire in his eyes. No words came out of his mouth as he lunged toward her with clear killing intent. The female ninja sighed, clearly he wasn't getting the message. She jumped out of the way and pressed a pressure point in his neck. He slumped and fell to floor, unconscious. Tears clouded her eyes as she whispered:

"This isn't your fight, stay out of the way, alright?"

Then she stood up, wiped off her tears and glared at all the ninja still standing. Her onyx eyes declared a challenge to all. _Come at me, _she thought, _if you dare…_

-----------------------------------------------------

Sasuke's POV

All these weaklings, how could they possibly stand up to me? And why do they keep trying? I unleashed a brutal fireball at an incoming ninja. It promptly roasted him as a wisp of smoke came up from my throat. I coughed a little. All these fireballs were taking their impact. This, is why I hate barbques, they're so smelly and inconvenient. Ah well, at least this is relatively easy.

------------------------------------------------------

Normal POV

Hinata activated my Byakugan and fell into a battle stance. Many of them backed off at the sight of her. Silently, she dashed toward the five ninja and took out three with a firm pat on their chest and back. The other two stood, astonished that their teammates had fell so easily. They recovered quickly and threw kunai and shuriken at her agile form. She appeared emotionless as she easily leaped out of their way and quickly disabled them with two other firm pats to their chests. Blood came out their throats and they fell down. She regained her former stance and silently challenged more ninja. And as always they answered the challenge.

----------------------------------------------------

"Go, Akamaru!"

Akamaru leaped onto an incoming ninja and firmly bit down on his throat and stepped back. Kiba was smiling wildly, this was too easy. His eyes were narrowed to a slit and the red markings on his cheeks shone blood-red.

"Never seen a giant dog before? Well, take a good look, it'll be your last."

He roared and charged at the enemy.

---------------------------------------------------

_Now this, is really troublesome. _Shikamaru leaned back on the wall as the shadow ninjustu took over and the four ninja started to kill each other. _Eh, works every time…why are all these ninja so mouse-brained? Usually, it takes some planning to pull off something like this. _ He diverted his attention to an assailant dropping from the ceiling, _how obvious…_ a purple figure flashed past his eyes as the enemy ninja was flung backwards in the cement walls. The purple figure turned around and addressed Shikamaru.

"Why do I need to save you every time? You'll get killed at this rate!"

Shikamaru smiled and let go of dead ninja as he targeted another group. Turning around, he replied:

"Because I know that you'll always be there, Temari."

The blondie blushed for a split second before she fended off another ninja with her giant fan.

Sakura looked around her, most of the enemy was dead. She ducked and sliced and calves of the young ninja in front of her. At least she didn't kill too many. All of them were gone. Shikamaru's bunch were almost done killing themselves and Shino's were just getting the last of their blood sucked out by giant leeches. Stepping over the bloody bodies, she ran over to the nearest ninja. She healed his major wounds and proceeded to look after the others. Hinata had started to apply some of her famous ointment to some cuts and bruises that some ninja had acquired. After about an hour, Sakura's chakra was well depleted and Hinata had used up two bottles of medicine. Sakura lifted her weary head and surveyed her teammates.

"Most of them will live, although…there were some we lost."

Temari anxiously ran over to the young Genin-aged ninja she had disabled earlier. She picked him up gently and walked over to Hinata.

"Do you think we could take care of him?"

Hinata's pale eyes looked surprised at the strange request. Temari smiled sheepishly.

"Just thought that we could question him or something. Can you hurry?"

The Hyuuga smiled gently and motioned for Temari to put the boy down. She, performed a simple healing justu on him and after a while, he blinked slowly as he awoke.

---------------------------------

Unknown Boy's POV

What? Who are these people? Why am I still alive? Ack! That scary blond ninja's here! Gotta get out of here before I get in trouble!

---------------------------------

Normal POV

The boy stirred and opened his eyes wide. He tried to get up, but the pain was too much. Hinata looked at the frightened boy gently.

"There there, we won't hurt you…"

Everyone stared at Hinata, she wasn't stuttering? The dark haired woman didn't notice the bewildered stares as she calmed the frightened boy down. As he drifted off into unconsciousness, she turned around. She cast her eyes down and blushed furiously from the stares. Kiba smiled uneasily and chuckled.

"C'mon, don't stare at her!"

He went over and took Hinata's hand and led her away. Gaara came over and glanced at the unconscious child. Averting his eyes, he looked at the two teams.

"There's no reason to stay, we should leave. The others are taking all the remaining ninja and keeping them for questioning."

Sakura smiled wearily, her chakra was almost used up. And so they all went up the ladder with Gaara's sand taking the boy up with them. One they were above ground, Temari looked toward the sky. It was really late and the moon was on the verge of setting. Early morning stars were twinkling brightly in the inky sky.

"Wow," she murmured,"I didn't realize that we took _that_ long."

"Well, we did, and I'm tired."

Kiba stretched his arms and yawned. He winced from a gash on his shoulder as he did so. Gaara chuckled very softly.

"Before you do so, let me have the hospital treat your injuries. Follow me."

_---------------------------------------------- _

_Suna Hospital (lobby)_

"Ow!"

"There, it's all bandaged up. Get some rest and don't move too much, young man!"

"Whatever…"

Kiba growled in frustration as he rotated his hurt shoulder.

"It'll heal by morning…"

The nurse then moved on the check Sakura, who had a few cuts and bruises on her arms. Then Sasuke who had a fractured wrist. The nurse turned around and looked confused.

"Is it just me, or is there a fire here?"

"Nah, it's just Sasuke-kun."

Sakura was giggling; he had used that fireball justu so many times, he smelled of smoke! Sasuke glared at the pink-haired kunoichi as she laughed at the expense of him. Pretty soon, everyone joined in, except for Sasuke (who was glaring), Shino (who never talks), Gaara (who never laughs), and Hinata, who was just giggling lightly. Kiba spoke up in the middle of snorting and laughing.

"C'mon, lighten up, willya, Sasuke? This is the first time we've had something to be happy about since we came to Suna!"

The nurse composed herself once again and ordered them out of the hospital to get some sleep and rest before the sun comes up. Gaara led the laughing and chatting group to their temporary rooms. He led them down a lighted hallway that led to his office.

"Kiba and Hinata, you'll share a room right down the hall. And Temari and Shikamaru will share a room opposite theirs. Sasuke, you'll have the small room next to mine. Sakura, you'll have to share with Shino. Don't worry, there'll be a divider through the middle along with separate beds in each room. Dividers are optional if you want to use them. My room will be right next to my office is you need me. Any questions?"

"Yeah, when do we have to get up tomorrow?"

Kiba stifled a yawn with his hands and looked at the clock on the wall.

"Get up at 9:30a.m. and I'll meet you in my office at 9:45."

"Aw….whatever. Fine, bye guys! G'night."

Kiba took Hinata's hand and pulled them to their room as Akamaru padded along behind them. Sakura looked concerningly at Gaara, she felt a bit doubtful.

"Are you sure it's a good idea for them to share a room?"

Temari patted her on the back.

"Don't worry, they'll be fine. After all, there are separate beds _and_ they're engaged after all. If you find them in one bed, you can beat Kiba up, okay?"

Sakura looked a bit reassured and headed to her room with Shino slinking behind her. Sasuke stomped of to his room right behind them. Temari stretched and dragged Shikamaru to their room. She took one last look at her little brother.

"Take care of yourself, alright?"

Gaara said nothing but merely turned around and walked away. Temari sighed, it was so hard, her kid brother, already a Kazekage. There wasn't any way she could protect him anymore. _Ah well, _Temari thought, _he's grown up, who can blame him? _She stifled a yawn and opened up the door to her room. _Finally, I can sleep_, Temari thought, _I'll worry about it tomorrow…_

--------------------------------------

and that's the end of chpt. 15! I hope that you liked it and wasn't bored to death with my horrible writing. Please review!

moonlight haku


	16. Away

* * *

I now realize that I will be putting all these up at the same time. Ah well, at least it'll partially make up for the times that I never signed on. I just thought of this conclusion at 12 or 1 in the morning…I hope it makes a bit of sense. 

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

* * *

_Suna (Kazekage's Building)_

Sasuke's POV

I opened the door to his room and observed it. It had a wooden closet in the corner with a bed adorned with green sheets beside two large windows. A pitcher was placed on a bedside table. There was another door that led to a bathroom equipped with a narrow shower, a toilet and a sink. The room was basic and simple, much like a live-in hospital room. The windows were open with the curtains fluttering in the wind. I trudged over to the bed and put my heavy backpack down near the end of it, it made a low thud as it fell. Ugh, my shoulder felt unbearably stiff when the heavy burden was relieved from it. I can't believe I had fought with it on my back for so long. As I got up, my wrist cracked a bit and sent a flare of pain up my arm.

"Ouch," I winced," This actually hurts…"

After washing up and changing, I laid down on my bed. For some reason I couldn't sleep even though the gentle wind was blowing in from the window. Surprisingly, it wasn't very hot; it must be these cement walls. Instead of forcing sleep upon myself, I stared at the ceiling. It was totally blank, except for a spider crawling along the edge. As I watched it scurry away at my presence, I finally got some time to do my thinking.

What did he want? I didn't mean Naruto, when I fought him, I could watch someone else, someone strange yet somehow familiar. I had sensed that somehow, he was assessing my skills. One thing I knew for sure was that Naruto was not going all-out on me. That was certainly insulting. All my life, I had looked down on him, just like I had looked down on everyone. This sudden outburst didn't really change my point of view though. He was obviously tricked into this, but how? I analyzed the past few weeks; none of us had done anything wrong or provoking in that case.

_ping_

Eh? A kunai? With…a note attached to it? My heart started to beat erratically as I pulled it out of the wall. It was written in messy, but perfectly legible scrawl. One that could only belong to one person. Sakura.

' meet me on the roof '

Eh? I was really confused now. She never wanted to talk to me before, why now? Wait, I get it now…she wants an explanation. Of course, Naruto's not here and she wants to know why. How ironic, usually I'm the one that disappears. Now that I'm back, it seems like it was Naruto's cue to disappear.

I carefully got up, trying not to make any sort of contact with my wrist. This is truly annoying, I hate getting hurt.

-------------------------------------------------

_on the roof _

Sakura's POV

I demand an explanation. Ever since I saw Naruto take off with that tall man, I had always wondered why. Theories were running everywhere in my mind. Maybe they had dispatched Naruto to go and find out the location of the enemy's stronghold. Maybe he got lost and a friendly stranger had picked him up. He certainly was dumb enough, after all. Maybe….whatever…I knew that I was only trying to hide the truth that was so plainly laid out before my eyes. He had betrayed us and left on his own. I still couldn't believe it, maybe he was tricked. Now that, was a possibility.

"Hey."

I whirled around to find myself nose to nose with Sasuke. When did he get here?!

"Oh, hello Sasuke-kun. How's your wrist?"

He grunted, and muttered:

"It's been better."

"Um…do you want me to heal it for you?"

"No, your chakra is already low, I don't want you collapsing on me. Too troublesome."

"You sound like Shikamaru-kun!"

"No, it's just the truth. Besides, you're married now, what would the other's think if they saw us together on the roof and you collapsing on me?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

His cold eyes revealed a glimmer of what seemed like sorrow. His icy lips barely moved as he looked at the black sky.

"Yeah…right…"

A few minutes passed without either of us exchanging a word as the stars shone overhead. Suddenly, I remembered why I had asked him to come.

"Sasuke?"

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering…"

"…where Naruto is, right?"

"Yeah…"

At this, he looked down at the ground as if he wanted to the ground to crack open so he could jump in. This disappeared after a mere second. Without looking at me, he put into words what I was afraid to think of.

"He left. And that's all there is."

His emotionless voice dropped to a whisper as he thought of Naruto. I was shocked. Up until now, I had never permitted myself to think the unthinkable. That he would leave. It couldn't be true. It just couldn't! Then I remembered where I was, it would be shameful to show emotion in front of him. Shinobis weren't supposed to have emotions. Never.

I sucked in my breath and cleared my throat.

"What happened?"

-----------------------------------------

_Suna, 7:00a.m._

Kiba & Hinata's room

Hinata's POV

I woke up to sunlight coming through my eyelids. What? Where am I? I quickly sat up and looked around. Sunlight was streaming from the open windows as a slight breeze flowed through. Careful not to wake Kiba up, he must've fallen asleep while talking to me last night. Oh well, it's not the first time that I shared a bed with him. I slipped on my pale lavender shirt and put on a light purple short-sleeve jacket. Taking off my silky pajamas, I put on a pair of lavender pants that came to just below my knees. I took out a fresh roll of bandages and wrapped them around on arms and lower legs before I slip my shoes on. I tied my hair into a ponytail and walked quietly out of my room. I opened the door slowly to find myself face to face with the Kazekage.

"O-oh, h-hello, K-kazekage-s-san."

"Just…Gaara…"

"Th-thank y-you, K-kaze-I m-mean G-gaara-san."

"…"

That was really frightening. His skin looks so pale and his eyes were always outlined with that black stuff. I closed the door behind me and walked down the hallway. I felt his light tea-green eyes follow me. It was a bit unnerving. He didn't follow me, but for some reason I felt like someone or something was following me. I shuddered a bit and continued walking down the hall after taking a quick glance behind me. Sure enough, there was a third eyeball following me. It was probably just making sure I didn't get attacked…right? After I walked out of the building, I felt that the eye was gone. My tensed shoulders relaxed and I let out a breath that I never knew that I was holding. I walked with a more comfortable gait and proceeded down the road. I haven't been to Sunagakure before and it didn't look like much.

There weren't really and trees, except for some dry and hardy ones here or there. The parks consisted of wooden swings and a sandbox. I wondered why they even needed such a thing, the whole village was filled with sand. As I walked through the streets, I felt numerous pairs of eyes staring at me. Unexpectedly, my face flushed pink. It's uncomfortable when everyone stares at you because you have no pupils and had pale skin. I observed the streets; there were general stores, grocery stores, restaurants, ramen stores, bars, and just no flower shops. And the only place where water was free was at the wells located throughout the city and your own sink.

A warm breeze blew through the town and some sand had come with it. Some got stuck in my eyes and I rubbed them out. Looking up from my feet, I realized that I had arrived at a set of swings. I walked over and sat on one. It swung slowly and it reminded me of something….

"_Look at him! He's the only one that didn't pass the test!"_

"_I know, and did you see the marks on his face?"_

"_He must be that demon child—"_

"_Shhh…don't say anything more, it's forbidden…"_

_The two women then vanished into the crowd and away from the lonely boy slowly rocking on the swings. The wind blew some leaves up from the ground and carried them over to his feet. This was the worst day of his life, he was so sure that he would pass the exam this year, but he didn't. Why? _

_A little girl stared at the boy from afar. She was the heir to the prestigious Hyuuga clan. But unlike most of the other clan members, she was very shy and gentle. Also, she hd taken a quiet liking to the "demon-child". To her, he was a normal boy, not a demon, but someone who had the fire that pushed him to try harder than anyone else. As she peeked at him from the corner, her heart had filled with sympathy for that boy. She knew what it was like to be looked down upon, to be hated. No one else should deserve that kind of treatment, especially him. He worked so hard. _

_How was she so sure? Because she had watched him grow, observed him throughout the years. Every time, she left her own training to just watch him try and fail, try and fail…over and over again. This was her own secret, something that she wouldn't share, her own little peaceful love. _

"Hinata-san?"

I snapped out of my daydream and looked up to see Temari-san staring down at me. My heart immediately started to calm down, I was so relieved!

"Y'know, if I was an enemy, you would've been dead already," she teased.

"I-I'm s-sorry, T-temari-sa-san…"

"Sorry for what? I was just making some fun. Besides, we need some of that around here."

I smiled, she didn't even know how much I needed that. The memory I just had of Naruto made my heart ache again. He was so nice and good then, what went wrong? Without warning, my eyes clouded over and a single tear rolled down my cheek.

"Hey! Don't start crying, Hinata-san!"

"I-I'm, s-sorry..I w-was just th-thinking ab-about N-na-narut-to-k-k-kun…"

"Don't be sorry about that, okay, Hinata-san? Speaking of Naruto-kun, where is he? What happened?"

Just as expected, of course she would ask that. I never had a chance to tell her, after all. She probably wanted a good explanation right away. I took a deep breath and started to tell her about what happen two days before.

"_They're gone! Sasuke and Naruto…they're gone!"_

_He turned around to face Hinata._

"_Activate your byakugan, Hinata, let's find them!"_

"_H-hai."_

_She crinkled her eyes for a second and bulging veins appeared alongside both eyes. Lifting her head, her lavender eyes scanned the area with her byakugan. At a cluster of trees to the north, she stopped and nodded toward that direction. _

"_Th-that way."_

_-----------------------------------------_

"_Hn!"_

_Sasuke grunted as he dodged the fully formed Rasengan. Leaping back onto a nearby tree, he sent 10 kunai flying toward his assailant as he performed the Dragon Fire Technique along the invisible wires attached to the lethal weapons. Fire jumped and traveled along the strings roped around the kunai. The so called "victim" smirked, this would be so easy. He jumped and appeared behind Sasuke. _

"_You'll never beat me."_

"_Grrr…"_

_Suddenly, Sasuke's already fully activated Sharingan eyes turned Mangekyo Sharingan. _

"_I was going to save this for later, but now, I'll use it to finally knock some sense back into you---TRAITOR!"_

_Obviously, the blond was taken aback. _

"_Wh-when did you gain the M-mangekyo?"_

"_The person I looked up to betrayed me, I threw my life away for revenge, then I lost the most precious person to me. Now---my best friend has betrayed me and his village, how could I not gain the Mangekyo after so much suffering?!" _

_Roaring, Sasuke drew his Kusanagi sword and channeled One Thousand Birds Current into it. His face appeared emotionless as he leaped through the air. The other followed and Sasuke appeared behind him as he sliced his empowered sword toward the other. The blond looked back in surprise. Bad move. Sasuke's Mangekyo was activated and that was no good situation. _

"_SASUKE! WHAT THE H--- ARE YOU DOING?!" _

_A familiar voice tore through the midst of fighting. _

"_N-naruto!"_

_Finally, Hinata's byakugan had found them. Sasuke glared at Naruto and screamed to them. _

"_GET AWAY!! Can't you see? He's evil, that's not the Naruto we know---that one is gone. GET AWAY! I wont let you die too!"_

_Kiba and Hinata gaped at Sasuke. When did he turn into this? The Sasuke they knew was cold and bent on revenge, now he was willing to sacrifice his life for them? It was unbelievable, but strangely, they didn't feel that he was lying, maybe he had really changed. But…why?_

"_WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! GET OUT, NOW!"_

_At that moment, Sasuke's genjustu released and Naruto fell as his Mangekyo was replaced by regular Sharingan. Slowly, Naruto got up and snarled._

"_This isn't over, Uchiha."_

_Dark clouds formed around him as he disappeared._

"D-do y-you g-get it n-now..?"

From her lack of expression, I gathered that she understood. She didn't say a word, just stood there, her shoulders shaking. I know what that felt like, like my heart was breaking into a million pieces, like my heart was being pulled out of my chest..

-----------------------------------

Temari's POV

That can't be true. It shouldn't be.

Even though…I don't know him well…I know he wouldn't ever betray his friends like that.

Move dammit! Why can't I move? I just need to do something, to something to get away from this feeling in my heart. Why does it ache? The last time it hurt like this…was a long time ago…

I don't want to think about that anymore.

That wasn't Naruto, it must've been someone else. A doppelganger? A clone?

--------------------------------

_On the Roof_

Sakura's POV

The sun's so hot…is it morning already? I can't tell, I don't know if I care anymore….Sasuke told me everything. I couldn't focus, it couldn't be true.

Naruto would never do anything like that. Never.

My heart hurts, it aches, it feels like it's being ripped apart. The last time I felt like this…was when Sasuke left me on the bench….a long time ago.

I don't want to think about that.

Naruto's loyal, he's a good friend, he would never, ever betray us. Sasuke must be lying. He has to be.

Everything else but that. Naruto would never do such a thing. Never.

There must be a reason.

------------------------------------------------

Temari's & Sakura's POV

**Anything.**

**It. Just. Can't. Be. Him.**

**Move. Dammit. **

**I need to run, to get away from this pain.**

**_To be continued..._**

* * *

Uh…yeah. that was pretty much chapter 16. This fanfic will be ending in 4 more chapters. Then I hope that you'll read the sequel. The final ending will be in the sequel. Clue: I don't believe in happy endings. Just a warning. 

PLZ REVIEW!!!!!!!

moonlight haku

* * *


	17. Farewell

* * *

Looking back on the beginning of this fanfiction…I noticed that I really sucked.

Thanx for reading and supporting me even though this story actually stinks.

**Disclaimer: if I owned Naruto…nobody would watch it. Or read it.**

* * *

_It had been three days._

_Three days since Naruto's betrayal was revealed._

_Four days since he left._

_Five days since they left Konoha._

-------------------------------------

_On a dead tree…_

Sakura's POV

I don't know if I'm all right. I just don't know anymore. Naruto's betrayal is very real to me now…I can't doubt everything Sasuke says anymore…Temari confirmed it. There were tears in her eyes. I think. My vision is ruined; it's completely filled with tears. They dripped on the branches a little.

It looked like blood.

I smiled, tears of blood. Who would've thought? I've shed so many tears over Sasuke, even over Lee…but never over Naruto. I trusted him. He would never do anything to hurt me.

But now he has.

And it's worse than Sasuke's. He tricked me. I thought that he was my only friend. The only one that would never let me down. Even when he had failed to bring back Sasuke the first time. I had known that it wasn't his fault. That he would bring Sasuke back eventually.

But not at this price.

------------------------------------

_In her room_

Temari's POV

I can face it now. It's time to face the music. No matter how grave the situation is. I am a shinobi. An assassin. A weapon honed for killing and warfare with no emotions. Emotions weaken us….right?

It certainly didn't seem that way for him. Naruto. He was one of the only—no, the only, person that fought, and won because of his passion. His passion for loyalty, dreams..and most of all friendship. He was the one that taught my little brother how to truly become great. He's the reason that Gaara became Kazekage.

Now I'll never have the chance to repay this kindness.

----------------------------------

_Roof_

Shikamaru's POV

I'm never an emotional person. It's way too troublesome. But then, I never had a reason to feel emotion. Temari is the only one that's ever seen my soft side. Even that is a precious little. I think that Temari is the only one that can ever fall in love with someone like me. So little emotion. I wonder if I can even spare any for Naruto. Even if he did leave.

That dobe.

--------------------------------

_Kazekage's Office_

Everyone was gathered at the Kazekage's office at 9:30 a.m.. again. Since that night when they first arrived, there has been no more suspicious activity. After three days, Suna was declared safe since it seems that the enemy was retreating, or just regrouping. Whatever it was, it didn't seem like he was going to make a move any time soon. Gaara has ordered that the teams from Konoha return to their village and remain alert. Just in case the Sand would ever need their help again.

So with heavy hearts, they were all gathered here to day their farewells.

However, the melancholy looks on everyone's faces weren't because they were leaving, it was because of a traitor. Except for Gaara. He always looked that way.

Both of the teams, minus one ninja, set out to return to their village safely. And they did. But a battle was going on in each of their hearts.

They just couldn't believe that he was actually gone.

It was a realization worse than death.

No one wanted to believe that he was gone.

But they had to, they couldn't go out and face anyone with this kind of attitude.

--------------------------------

_Forest Surrounding Konoha_

"I think that we should just laugh."

That suggestion produced a bitter chuckle from everyone. No one wanted to laugh. They had already forgotten how to. But Sakura's gentle and insistent voice pressed on.

"I mean it! We should just laugh!! It'll make all of us feel a whole lot better."

"How do you know?" ,came Sasuke's cold and unbelieving voice. Every trace of emotion was wiped clean from that single sentence.

"Because that's what you do in these sorts of times. Laugh."

Sasuke turned away and ignored her cheerful words. The rest of them remained silent, lost in their own world. Sakura sighed, _oh, whatever. Who am I kidding? Why would any of us laugh anyway? It's too hard to laugh nowadays…_

She became quiet and traveled on with the rest of the group.

----------------------------

_Hokage's Office_

"The mission was…successful, Hokage-sama. We fought off the first set of ninja underground and there seems to be no more enemy activity, at least for now."

"Thank you Sakura. You may go."

"Hai."

In a flash of pink hair, she was gone.

Tsunade sighed. The mission was successful, but it seems that Naruto was gone. The rumors were true. He really did leave. The fifty-year-old blonde flipped open Sakura's full report wearily. She was getting too much bad news these days. Her thoughts wandered to the possibility of retiring, if that was possible. Before, it was, but now it seemed too far off into the future. After all, the only possible candidate was gone and there was no one that could take his place.

Konoha had plenty of eligible ninja, but none could match him in loyalty and passion.

But that was before this.

-------------------------------------------------

_Unknown Cave_

"You don't have to destroy them!

The raven-haired man smiled evilly.

"Of course I do. I'm evil."

"They didn't do anything to deserve this!!"

"Of course they didn't. Oh! I should enslave them, make them loyal and turn them against everything they love instead…"

"If you do that, I swea—"

"Ah ah ah, Naruto, don't push it. I will do whatever it takes to get my revenge, and no one, especially not you, can stop me!"

-------------------------------------------

_Konoha, Irchiraku_

_Three weeks later_

"Hey, dog boy, don't get your stupid mutt's slobber all over my pants."

"YOU BASTARD!!!! AKAMARU IS NOT STUPID AN—"

"Shut up."

Kiba was fuming. It seemed like Sasuke was surlier than ever. All of them were at Ichiraku, talking and eating. Sakura was chatting with Ino and Hinata with Tenten. Temari was babbling on about God knows what to Shikamaru and Kiba was getting ready to murder Sasuke for calling his dog stupid.

At the last second, Hinata quickly ended her conversation with Tenten and dragged Kiba away with a polite farewell to Sasuke.

"Ki-kiba…do-don't get m-mad at h-him…."

"Why? He called Akamaru a stupid mutt!"

Hinata quietly gestured to her fiancé to look at Sasuke.

"I-I'm sure h-he's ju-just s-sad, K-kiba. W-we a-all a-are…"

"Speaking of which, what did your father say about us?"

"……"

"_F-father? M-may I t-talk to y-you?"_

"_What is it, Hinata?"_

_She entered the room and sat in front of her father on a mat. She put her hands in front of her and bowed down low. When she raised her head, she smiled wearily. _

"_I w-would like t-to f-forfeit the p-position of leader of th-the Hyuuga Clan to H-hyuuga Neji, F-father."_

"_What?!"_

"_I'm s-sorry Father. B-but we both kn-know that I w-won't live l-long enough to t-truly f-fulfill m-my role. I'm s-sorry."_

_With that, she bowed low again and left her father to ponder her request. _

Hinata thought over the previous night's events and decided not to reveal it to Kiba.

"D-don't w-worry K-kiba, h-he wo-won't s-say an-anything…"

"That's a relief!"

Kiba smiled brightly while he grabbed her hand and took her to the park.

_------------------------------------------- _

_Ichiraku's _

TenTen's POV

So Neji will always be the leader of the Hyuuga Clan. I wonder when I should tell him. It was always his dream, and now it's handed to him. But I don't know how he'll interpret it.

Strangely, I feel a bit empty. It's always unnerving when someone is so calm and peaceful about their death. I wonder how Kiba will feel?

_----------------------------------------- _

_In the park_

Hinata's POV

Soon…the stars might be out of my reach..I don't know how long I can live anymore….

It's not because of Father, or Neji. It's because of me. I'm too weak. It seems like I truly wasn't cut out to be a ninja after all. When Tsunade-sama talked to me after I collapsed at Kiba's, she told me that I would most probably die very soon.

I had requested for her not to tell anyone, but somehow, my father found out. He didn't say anything, but I knew that he knew what would eventually be my fate.

Kiba will know. Soon.

But not now. We still have too much to do, too much to do. I pray that it might not be too late when he finds out.

"K-kiba?"

"Yeah, Hinata?"

"We-we'll f-find N-naruto soon, r-right?"

"H--- YEAH!!!"

"Th-then ev-everything wi-will b-be p-perfect…"

"Yeah, perfect."

But I knew, in my heart that there were no such things as happy endings. They were only created to illustrate a fairytale world, something we could yearn for, dream for, but never achieve..The most I can hope for is a peaceul death, one that can be celebrated and not regretted…then when Naruto is back, everything will be truly perfect…

* * *

_**End of **__**Tears of Blood**_

* * *

Yeah. The worst premature ending in the story. Actually, my friends pointed out that this story should've just ended when Hinata recovered. That proves how much I actually stunk. I know that this is the worst ending, and there were a lot of unanswered questions…but I felt that it was necessary to break it off and start the sequel. READ THE SEQUEL!!!--> **Price of Freedom**

I'll be taking a little breather and try finishing up **Cherry Tomato,** I encourage you to read that and be patient while I plan the sequel. (don't take me off your alert list!!)

_**Owari**_

* * *


	18. AN: UPDATE!

**A/N: **

**The START OF THE SEQUEL IS HERE!!!! READ AND REVIEW AND FAVE IT AND WHATEVER!!!! GO NOW!!!! Let me explain a little though…it has been one year since Naruto was gone, there has been no more trouble, but also no clues about his disappearance. His teammates and friends want to look for him, but Tsunade forbids it since they have NO leads and are therefore like blind puppies XD. And this will mainly be a friendship fic. Not too much romance, sorry.******

**NOW GO AND READ IT!!!!!**

moonlight haku


End file.
